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The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions(DPP)in Jamaica has found that no criminal act was committed by the agriculture minister and his permanent secretary in the award of a multimillion dollar contract to businessman, Aubyn Hill and his company, Corporation Strategies Limited.
The Office of the Contractor General, OCG had referred the matter to DPP, Paula Llewellyn after it said the contracts were awarded in an unlawful, irregular and improper manner.
But in her findings made available this afternoon, Llewellyn said she found no reason for criminal sanctions to be laid against any of the three men in the award of the contract.
In his report Contractor General Greg Christie had claimed that the agriculture minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, his permanent secretary Donovan Stanberry and Hill breached the Perjury Act in the award of the contract for divestment of the country’s sugar assets.
According to Christie, documentary evidence and subsequent sworn statements provided by Stanberry and Dr. Tufton had contradicted initial responses submitted by the three men.
But in her report, the DPP said the prosecution would face an insurmountable hurdle in proving that there was intent on the part of the three men to commit a crime.
In explaining her decision, the DPP said the relevant contracts clearly outline that Hill was a consultant and not the servant of the agriculture ministry.
These contracts were also attached by Hill, Dr. Tufton and Stanberry in their responses to the OCG in which the erroneous references to 'employment contracts' were made.
And according to Llewellyn this would tend as a matter of law to undermine any assertion that there was any intention to deliberately or recklessly mislead the Contractor General.
She further said there is no material available sufficient to contradict the assertion that this was an honest mistake made because of an oversight.
And she says the prosecution would be severely embarrassed to convince a criminal court otherwise.
This is the second time in two days that the DPP has dismissed a recommendation from the contractor general for criminal charges to be laid against public officials.
Yesterday the DPP also found that no criminal charges should be laid against executives
of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company, JUTC to companies in which its late executive director Douglas Chambers had active interests.
http://go-jamaica.com/news/read_article.php?id=22925
The Office of the Contractor General, OCG had referred the matter to DPP, Paula Llewellyn after it said the contracts were awarded in an unlawful, irregular and improper manner.
But in her findings made available this afternoon, Llewellyn said she found no reason for criminal sanctions to be laid against any of the three men in the award of the contract.
In his report Contractor General Greg Christie had claimed that the agriculture minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, his permanent secretary Donovan Stanberry and Hill breached the Perjury Act in the award of the contract for divestment of the country’s sugar assets.
According to Christie, documentary evidence and subsequent sworn statements provided by Stanberry and Dr. Tufton had contradicted initial responses submitted by the three men.
But in her report, the DPP said the prosecution would face an insurmountable hurdle in proving that there was intent on the part of the three men to commit a crime.
In explaining her decision, the DPP said the relevant contracts clearly outline that Hill was a consultant and not the servant of the agriculture ministry.
These contracts were also attached by Hill, Dr. Tufton and Stanberry in their responses to the OCG in which the erroneous references to 'employment contracts' were made.
And according to Llewellyn this would tend as a matter of law to undermine any assertion that there was any intention to deliberately or recklessly mislead the Contractor General.
She further said there is no material available sufficient to contradict the assertion that this was an honest mistake made because of an oversight.
And she says the prosecution would be severely embarrassed to convince a criminal court otherwise.
This is the second time in two days that the DPP has dismissed a recommendation from the contractor general for criminal charges to be laid against public officials.
Yesterday the DPP also found that no criminal charges should be laid against executives
of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company, JUTC to companies in which its late executive director Douglas Chambers had active interests.
http://go-jamaica.com/news/read_article.php?id=22925
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