(Jamaica Gleaner) The Office of the Contractor General (OCG) has announced that it will be reviewing the contracts for the Jamaica 50th Independence anniversary celebrations.
In a statement this morning, the OCG said it has written to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Culture, Robert Martin, giving him until Friday, September 7 to provide certain documents related to the expenditures.
“The OCG’s decision was prompted by its receipt of allegations of irregular and improper Government spending, and nepotism, in respect of the Independence Celebrations in the United Kingdom, as well as what has been reported to be the public disquiet which has arisen over the alleged lack of information regarding the Government’s expenditures on the said United Kingdom based celebrations,” said an OCG spokesman in the statement.
The OCG says it review will also seek to ascertain whether value for money was obtained in the referenced procurements.
The OCG has requested from Martin a copy of the approved budget for the Jamaica 50 Anniversary Celebrations, the full accounting in respect of each budget line item to include: the particulars of all contracts that were awarded; the names of the respective contractors; the values of the respective contracts; the procurement methodologies that were utilized and; the locations at which the contracts were performed.
The Ministry has also been specifically required to particularize all Jamaica 50 goods, services and works procurement expenditures which were associated with the country’s United Kingdom based Independence Celebrations.
The Government had spent almost £1,000,000 on the London-based independence celebrations.
The OCG wants information on air transportation expenditures from Jamaica to the United Kingdom and back; and accommodation expenditures within the United Kingdom.
The letters to the Permanent Secretary were copied to Lisa Hanna, the Minister of Youth and Culture, and Robert Bryan, the Project Director of the Jamaica 50 Secretariat.
