Hibbert

CONTRACTOR GENERAL Greg Christie has earned the ire of attorney-at-law Ernest Smith, after opening an investigation into State Minister Joseph Hibbert's actions in connection with British firm Mabey and Johnson.

Smith, a Government backbencher and private counsel to Hibbert, has labelled the contractor general "irresponsible", and warned that his overly enthusiastic behaviour would cause him to "one day digest the venom of his own spleen".

"I don't say that he is not a good person in his job, but he has become so enthusiastic that he does not verify his facts before he issues statements," Smith told The Gleaner yesterday.

The Office of the Contractor General (OCG) yesterday announced that it has commenced a formal investigation into allegations of corruption and irregularity that are related to bridge-building contracts that were awarded to Mabey and Johnson Limited while Hibbert was the chief technical director in the transport and works ministry.

The OCG's investigation will be directed primarily at determining the precise role, if any, played by Hibbert, the Member of Parliament for East Rural St Andrew and state minister in the Ministry of Transport and Works; and businessman Deryck A Gibson, in the facilitation, procurement, awarding, implementation, execution and/or variation of some contracts.

Double checking

The OCG is also to determine whether there is any merit to allegations that questionable payments, totalling millions of United States dollars, were made or transferred by Mabey and Johnson to certain specified persons and/or into certain bank accounts in relation to the contracts.

Christie's office said information received from the Jamaica Constabulary Force suggests that several of the alleged referenced payments were made to, for the benefit of, and/or on the account of Hibbert between 1993 and 2003.

However, Smith feels the contractor general's statement was unfair to his client and government colleague, whose integrity he said has now been questioned.

"The contractor general is very irresponsible. For him to cast those kinds of aspersions and innuendoes at our client, he is very irresponsible and downright out of order, and his release demonstrates the greatest degree of insensitivity and irresponsibility," Smith said.

Homes raided

It is alleged that individuals benefited improperly from association with the bridge-building company. As part of a fraud investigation, members of Britain's Serious Fraud Office visited Jamaica and raided the homes of Hibbert and Gibson.

Smith claims Hibbert has been a victim of crooks who used his name to defraud Mabey and Johnson and send the money to bank accounts in some far away land.

"As far as my client, Minister Joseph Hibbert, is concerned, and based on what has been shown to me, Mr Hibbert has not breached nor is he a party to any act of corruption, directly or indirectly," Smith said.

According to Smith, documents supplied by the British investigators indicate that money was transferred to accounts that did not belong to Hibbert.

No comment

Assistant Commissioner of Police Les Green, who is in charge of the local police investigation, refused to say what evidence before him caused him to refer the matter to the contractor general.

"I will not say more than what is contained in the release by the contractor general," Green told The Gleaner yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Spokesman on Transport and Works, Robert Pickersgill, has called for Prime Minister Bruce Golding to relieve Hibbert of his ministerial duties.

"While a determination of Mr Hibbert's guilt or innocence is ultimately the responsibility of the courts, he should be relieved of his ministerial responsibilities to remove any appearance or perception of interference," Pickersgill said.

daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com