Edmond Campbell, Senior Staff Reporter

Left: Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn. Right: Contractor General Greg Christie - File Photos

Contractor General Greg Christie has submitted a report to Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn, which he believes points to evidence of "a breach of duty or misconduct or criminal offence on the part of an officer or member" at the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC).

Llewellyn yesterday confirmed she had received the 104-page report from the Contractor General's Office, following the completion of a four-month-long investigation into controversial contracts awarded by the state-owned bus company.

The DPP told The Gleaner, however, that she was unable to offer a comment as she had not yet opened the document.

Report to be tabled

Section 21 of the Contractor General Act mandates the contractor general to send a copy of his findings to the DPP and attorney general, if certain evidence is uncovered.

The report is to be tabled in the Senate tomorrow, and then in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

Investigations began on July 8 into the award of a contract in which the late chairman of the JUTC, Douglas Chambers, was said to be a major player.

The contractor general's probe was prompted by a media report on July 6, which alleged impropriety, lack of transparency, cronyism and a breach of the Government Procurement Guidelines in the JUTC's award of contracts.

Focused on specific contracts

A release from the Contractor General's Office yesterday stated that the investigation focused primarily on certain contracts that were allegedly awarded by the state bus company to Simber Productions Limited, a company in which Chambers was the majority shareholder; Protection and Security Limited and Cool Petroleum Limited.

Copies of the contractor general's findings have been submitted to Transport and Works Minister Mike Henry, acting managing director of the JUTC, Bindley Sangster, and permanent secretary in the transport ministry, Alwyn Hales.

Efforts to get a comment from the minister were unsuccessful yesterday as his phone rang without an answer. A message was left on his voice mail but up to press time there was no response.

Diedre Chen, project manager of Simber Productions, one of the companies named in the report, told The Gleaner yesterday that the company's dealings with the JUTC were transparent and above board.

Chen was unable to give details but stated that Simber Productions had entered into a contract with the JUTC to produce features and commercials for the company.

The second company highlighted in the report was Cool Petroleum Limited. On July 10, CEO of the company, Joseph Issa, wrote to Henry providing details about his company's involvement with the JUTC.

Issa said Cool had a relationship with JUTC by virtue of its acquisition of Shell Company assets.

He said the company was also approved by the National Contracts Commission to supply petroleum products to the Government.

Cool acquired the assets in February 2006.

The JUTC contract, which was inherited from Shell, was first awarded in 1999 and again in 2004.

"The rate since then has not changed," Issa had pointed out in his letter.

He said the company's margin was less than half of a per cent, contrary to 28 per cent as was stated in the orginal media report.

Dennis Morgan, principal of Protection and Security Limited, the third company in the investigation, could not be reached for comment.

However, in an earlier interview, Morgan told The Gleaner that he was not perturbed by the contractor general's investigation, as he was confident the deal was made following due diligence.

"I have no concerns, because the invitation was tendered and I offered my bid like everybody else," he said.

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com