Damning OCG report on AA/Gov’t airlift deal

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Damning OCG report on AA/Gov’t airlift deal
Wednesday, 03 March 2010

Greg Christie, Contractor General.Several shocking revelations have been uncovered by the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) in its probe into the controversial American Airlines (AA) deal signed two years ago by the Bruce Golding administration.

Greg Christie, Contractor-General, says he has discovered that Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, among other things, misled Cabinet into entering the multi-million US dollar agreement which was aimed at keeping American Airlines flying to Jamaica.

The OCG's report was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.

The American Airlines revenue guarantee deal brought much controversy when it was inked two years ago and now with the Contractor General's report out, even more alarming revelations have arisen.

Cabinet misled



Ed Bartlett, Tourism Minister.The Contractor General said he found that Mr. Bartlett misled cabinet about the deal and defied his colleagues' decision in going through with it.

From evidence gathered, the Contractor General <span style="font-weight: bold">determined that it was Mr. Bartlett who initiated the deal with American Airlines and &quot;not the other way around as was falsely asserted by the (honourable edmund bartlett) Minister in his cabinet submission of September 9, 2008.&quot; </span>
September 9, 2008 was the date when Mr. Bartlett took the matter to Cabinet which was at least a month after the deal was signed.

The OCG investigation found that the deal was &quot;signed contemporaneously prior to August 11, 2008&quot; which meant that the approval process would have been retroactive and amount to a rubber stamping of a deal that was already in place.

AA airlift deal improperly and irregularly awarded

But that approval never came from Cabinet.

The OCG report said that not even up to February 2010 were any documents available to suggest the agreements were approved by Cabinet.

The only reference is that when it came up for discussion at Cabinet, the matter was withdrawn from the agenda &quot;until further consultation on the recommendations and alternative proposals, including consultations with the Attorney General's Department.&quot;

But that never stopped Mr. Bartlett from moving forward.

On November 2, 2008 the deal came into effect for American Airlines in blatant defiance of Cabinet decision.

And that the OCG said, led it to conclude that the air service agreements entered into with American Airlines were &quot;improperly and irregularly awarded.&quot;

Censuring Bartlett etal



John Lynch, JTB Chairman.For the breach of duty, Mr. Christie has referred the matter to the Attorney General <span style="font-style: italic">&quot;for her to determine and to advise what steps may be taken to censure and or to hold to account Mr. Bartlett as well as John Lynch, Chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board and Lionel Reid, Executive Director of Jamaica Vacations Limited (JAMVAC), with regard to the role that was played by each of them in the irregularities unearthed.&quot;</span>
In addition, Mr. Christie recommended that the Prime Minister discipline Mr. Bartlett and the two public officials mentioned and that stricter guidelines be implemented not only with how JAMVAC conducts commercial transactions on behalf of the country, but for all public bodies and officials.

The OCG report also found that up to November 2009, no money was paid to American Airlines under the deal.

It is not know if nay has since been paid.

The Tourism Minister along with Mr. Lynch and Mr. Reid now wait to see how a blatant defiance of Cabinet will be handled by the Prime Minister.


Dr. Wykeham McNeil.PNP appalled by OCG's findings

In the meantime, the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) has called a press conference to respond to the findings of the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) probe into the controversial American Airlines deal signed two years ago by the government.

Dr. Wykeham McNeil, Opposition Spokesman on Tourism, says officials of the Party have read the Contractor-General's report and are appalled at the findings.

&quot;The report is a damning report ... <span style="font-weight: bold">to say that Ed Bartlett, the Minister of Tourism mislead the Cabinet of Jamaica in his submission to that body is a revelation</span>,&quot; he said.

[remo]

Re: Damning OCG report on AA/Gov’t airlift deal

Bartlett must have made a few bucks in that deal?

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Damning OCG report on AA/Gov’t airlift deal

Bartlett should resign!

[evanovitch]

Bartlett defends AA deal despite CG's lashing

Bartlett defends AA deal despite CG's lashing


Thursday, March 04, 2010


TOURISM Minister Ed Bartlett has defended his arrangement for air service agreement between Jamaica and American Airlines, saying that the deal was transparent and done to protect the fragile tourism industry.

Bartlett, in a letter yesterday to the prime minister, said there was &quot;extensive documentary trail&quot; to show that no consideration occupied the signing of the agreement other than to cauterise a situation that would have spelt disaster for the island's economy.


BARTLETT... there was total transparency
BARTLETT... there was total transparency 1/1

&quot;The truth is that in all circumstances in content and in procedure there was total transparency in the conduct of the air service agreement with AA,&quot; Bartlett said in the letter, which was later released to the media.

Contractor General Greg Christie, in a scathing report to Parliament on Tuesday, charged that the Bruce Golding administration was misled about details of the US$4.5 million airlift guarantee deal, which was &quot;improperly and irregularly awarded&quot; and signed before it was presented to the Cabinet.

Christie said that his investigations showed that Bartlett, Director of Tourism John Lynch and executive director of Jamaica Vacations (JAMVAC), Lionel Reid played major roles that led to the signing of the agreement.

Bartlett yesterday argued that the fundamental issue raised by the contractor general was whether there was any dishonest intent that informed the consultations between JAMVAC and AA and also whether any attempt was considered or made to deceive Cabinet.

He said that the genesis of the matter occurred between December 2007 and January 2008 when Lynch informed him that American Airlines indicated that it was preparing to withdraw flights from a number of gateways.

According to Bartlett, the airline intended to suspend, indefinitely, service from Dallas to Montego Bay, reduce service from Miami to Montego Bay and downsize its aircraft from New York to Montego Bay.

&quot;This significant reduction of service to Montego Bay would have disastrous impact on visitor arrivals to Jamaica,&quot; Bartlett said.

Instructions, he said, were subsequently given to Lynch to discuss the issue and its implications with the airline with a view to preventing the loss of any route.

The tourism minister added that after an initial understanding was arrived at with AA, a Cabinet submission, dated July 2008, was prepared and delivered to Cabinet Office but was subsequently withdrawn.

A second Cabinet submission was prepared and submitted, Bartlett said, but it was again withdrawn &quot;to allow for further consultations on the recommendations and alternative proposals including consultations with the Attorney General's Office&quot;.

Bartlett contended that both the attorney general and the Ministry of Finance, in their deliberations, concluded that the Air Service agreement did not constitute a normal procurement contract.

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Bartlett's missive

Bartlett's missive
Published: Thursday | March 4, 2010 0 Comments and 0 Reactions
Bartlett, Minister of tourismDear Prime Minister:

Comments on main conclusions of the contractor general of Jamaica arising out a special investigation conducted into the airlift guarantee agreements which were entered into between American Airlines and Jamaica Vacations Limited.


The genesis of this matter occurred between December 2007 and January 2008, when I was informed by the director of tourism and chairman of JAMVAC, Mr John Lynch, that American Airlines had indicated that it was preparing to withdraw flights from a number of gateways, as was done with the Puerto Rico hub. The Puerto Rico hub serves the Eastern Caribbean and the reduction of service from that location had a negative effect on the islands of the Eastern Caribbean.

American Airlines indicated that it would:

Suspend, indefinitely, service from Dallas to Montego Bay
Reduce service from Miami to Montego Bay; and
Downsize its aircraft from New York to Montego Bay.

This significant reduction of service to Montego Bay would have had a disastrous impact on visitor arrivals to Jamaica.

The chairman of JAMVAC also informed me that he was advised by American Airlines that some of the islands affected by the withdrawal of service by the company were contemplating entry into revenue guarantee agreements. This was with a view to protect their airlift. He also informed me that he was advised that a similar mechanism was available to Jamaica.

Conferred with aa officials

I, therefore, instructed Mr Lynch to discuss this arising issue and its implications with American Airlines, with a view to preventing the loss of any routes. Subsequent to this meeting, I travelled to Miami with Mr Lynch, in March 2008, to confer with officials of American Airlines, and an initial understanding was arrived at.

The Hon Minister of Finance and the Public Service informed me, by way of letter dated June 10, 2008, that &quot; ? the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service will support the seat support request and undertake to include such additional expenditure in the First Supplementary Estimates subject to the approval of Cabinet and Parliament.&quot; A Cabinet submission, dated June 12, 2008, was prepared and delivered to Cabinet Office but was subsequently withdrawn, after further discussions between the Hon Minister of Finance and the Public Service and myself with regard to the constraints for a letter of credit to be issued by the Ministry of Finance. It was, therefore, necessary to explore an alternative mechanism for financing any possible exposure that may arise under the air service agreement with American Airlines.

American Airlines subsequently submitted three contracts, which were reviewed by the ministry in the context of two fundamental considerations:

1. The purpose for which the contract was intended.

2. The financial cost(s) of entering into the contract.

The contracts were also referred to the Attorney General's Chambers for consideration. The attorney general duly replied on July 22, 2008, and recommended changes to over 16 clauses in the contracts. When the ministry sought to have these changes incorporated into final contracts with American Airlines, the airline rejected same and stated that its offer was standard contracts that were not subject to negotiation.

After due consideration and consultations, another Cabinet submission was prepared and submitted for approval. The submission was considered by Cabinet, and in Cabinet Decision No. 31/08, the Cabinet decided that &quot;the matter should be withdrawn from the agenda to allow for further consultations on the recommendations and alternative proposals, including consultations with the Attorney General's Department&quot;.

Subsequently, both the attorney general and the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service concluded that the air service agreements did not constitute a normal procurement contract. Indeed, the letter from the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, dated October 14, 2008, stated that:

&quot;No good or service is being supplied to the Government or any of its agencies. The service is being provided directly to the passengers who will stand the cost of their travel.&quot;

Contents of circular no. 34

You will also recall the circulation by the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service of Amendments to Procurement Procedures for Commercial Entities, as contained in Circular No. 34, dated September 22, 2008, and your letter to the executive director of JAMVAC, dated October 7, 2008, requiring him to submit the internal procedures which will guide the agency, in light of the amendments contained in said circular.

Since this entire issue arose, we have written to the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, requesting the development of a protocol to guide JAMVAC in the administration of matters of this kind. We await a response on this matter.

In fact, the contractor general admitted on page 86 of his report that, &quot;These pieces of evidence indicate that JAMVAC made attempts to ensure that it was following the proper guidelines as it regarded entering into the airlift agreements.&quot;

The truth is that, in all circumstances, in content and in procedure, there was total transparency in the conduct of the air service agreements with American Airlines.

With regard to the retention of legal services, both the chairman and the executive director of JAMVAC considered the requisition from the Contractor General's Office to be sufficiently urgent and serious to require legal guidance. In fact, there was the threat of criminal prosecution. Furthermore, Section No. S-1000 (Page 1 of 4) of the Government of Jamaica Handbook of Public Sector Procurement Procedures , November 2008, allows exclusion of a procurement process for legal services for non-routine assignments and litigation. Accordingly, discretion was exercised to immediately begin discussions with a lawyer, and seek ratification at the next meeting of the board of directors, that was scheduled to convene later that month.

No dishonest intent

The fundamental issue raised by the contractor general is whether there was any dishonest intent that informed the consultations between JAMVAC and American Airlines; and also, whether any attempt was considered or made to deceive the Cabinet of Jamaica.

I can emphatically state that, given the extensive documentary trail involving the Ministry of Tourism and its agency, JAMVAC, the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, the Attorney General's Chambers and the Office of the Contractor General itself, there was no consideration that occupied us other than the cauterisation of a situation that, had it been allowed to prevail, would have spelt disaster for our economy, manifested by significant losses in tourism earnings.

I do trust that this account will serve to clarify any misunderstandings and answer any questions that the report submitted by the contractor general may have given rise to.

Sincerely,

Edmund C. Bartlett

Minister of Tourism

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OCG responds to Bartlett on AA deal

OCG responds to Bartlett on AA deal
2010-03-04 17:39:59 )

Contractor General Greg Christie has responded to statements made by tourism minister Ed Bartlett, in a letter to the prime minister regarding the American Airlines Airlift Guarantee Agreements.

Mr. Bartlett had sought to explain his role in the airlift deal following an investigative report on the agreement by the contractor general.

But in his letter addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the president of the senate, the prime minister and attorney general, the contractor general charged that Mr. Bartlett has not in any way credibly addressed nor challenged any of the material findings or recommendations in the report.

The investigation by the Office of the Contractor General, OCG had found that the air service agreements between Jamaica and American Airlines were improperly awarded and that the government was misled about details of the US$4.5 million deal.

<span style="font-weight: bold">In his letter responding to Mr. Bartlett, the contractor general notes that the three main findings on which the OCG made its recommendations to the prime minister and the attorney general for disciplinary action against Mr. Bartlett, director of tourism John Lynch and Lionel Reid, the executive director of Jamaica Vacations <span style="font-style: italic">are not addressed in the tourism minister’s letter. </span></span>
The OCG found that Mr. Bartlett purposefully misled the Cabinet on the details of the deal.

The report also says John Lynch signed three agreements with American Airlines . <span style="font-style: italic">committing the government and taxpayers to a contingent debt of over $400 million without Cabinet approval</span>

According to the OCG, Mr. Lynch and John Reid also <span style="font-style: italic">engaged legal services and incurred significant expenses without obtaining the requisite approvals </span>of the Board of Directors of Jamaica Vacations Limited and/or the Permanent Secretary of the Tourism Ministry.

The contractor general says there is nothing in Mr. Bartlett’s letter that even comes close to absolving him, Mr. Lynch or Mr. Reid from culpability for their conduct in any of the agreements which are of grave national import.

The contractor general also says if Mr. Bartlett is suggesting that the exemption of JAMVAC from the government’s procurement rules <span style="font-weight: bold">authorizes him to deceive the prime minister and the cabinet, then he’s helplessly misguided and must, in the public interest, be expeditiously brought into line</span>, not only by the prime minister but by Parliament.

He also says Mr. Bartlett’s veiled attempt to excuse Mr. Lynch’s conduct by relying on JAMVAC’s exemption from the Procurement Rules is nothing more than a blatant distortion of the facts which is clearly intended to further mislead the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the taxpayers of Jamaica

[evanovitch]

PM needs to clear air on AA-Bartlett deal

PM needs to clear air on AA-Bartlett deal
Published: Sunday | March 7, 2010

Although he is often accused of injecting the data with steroids and of providing overoptimistic analyses of the sector's performance, Ed Bartlett, Jamaica's tourism minister, has earned credit for delivering modest growth in visitor arrivals in a difficult global environment.

With his cherubic countenance, engaging personality and general good humour, people, by and large, are well-disposed to Mr Bartlett. But he now faces a charge that will require more than past performances and charm to overcome. At the same time, Prime Minister Bruce Golding's response to the issue will say much about his eloquently declared, and often repeated, commitment to accountability and transparency in government.

Mr Bartlett is accused by Contractor General Greg Christie of misleading his Cabinet colleagues about the origins of an airlift guarantee agreement between Jamaica and American Airlines (AA) which, with the complicity of two public officials, John Lynch and Lionel Reid, was consummated, even though Cabinet had asked for further consultations and alternative proposals.

The substantive allegations against these officials apart, this case raises broader questions about existing mechanisms for the follow-up of Cabinet directives and whether ministers are sometimes allowed to 'run with it' for reasons not open to public scrutiny.

This issue goes back to 2008 when Mr Bartlett controversially announced that the government agency, Jamaica Vacations Ltd (JamVac), had signed an agreement to provide additional flights to the island from the United States cities of Chicago, Dallas and Miami, for which Jamaica would guarantee up to US$4.5 million if American Airlines lost money on the routes. The idea was to provide more seats into Jamaica during a period of uncertainty.

unsolicited proposal

The problem is that in his brief to the Cabinet, Mr Bartlett told ministers that the deal was based on &quot;a verbal, unsolicited proposal from American Airlines&quot;. In fact, it was the Jamaican officials who proposed the deal.

Curiously, that brief, of September 9, 2009 - which Cabinet asked to be withdrawn for the additional work - came at least a month after Mr Lynch, in his role as chairman of JamVac, had signed the deal that had been largely negotiated by Mr Reid, the agency's executive director. Contractor General Christie discovered no additional submissions to or approval by the Cabinet for the agreement.

Two things are inexplicable: the apparent hot pursuit of the deal with AA with, as Mr Christie observed, sparse evidence of other carriers being engaged; and telling the Cabinet that the proposal had been unsolicited when, as Messrs Bartlett and Lynch concede to Mr Christie, it was they who initiated the negotiations.

In many jurisdictions, such obvious misbehaviour or display of poor judgement by a minister and/or public officials would lead to their resignations, dismissal or public censure. The public, we are sure, will see how Prime Minister Golding handles this issue.

But there is also another issue to be addressed. While, as Mr Christie concluded, there was no apparent Cabinet authorisation for the deal with American Airlines, the fact that it was executed was no secret.

Prime Minister Golding ought to have been aware of this lack of authorisation and would have understood that substantial sums were involved. What did he or his aides do about it? Did they ask questions of Mr Bartlett?

Mr Golding needs to clear the air on this matter.


The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: [email protected] or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.

[evanovitch]

Bartlett/OCG/AA airlift deal to take centre stage at Cabinet

Bartlett/OCG/AA airlift deal to take centre stage at Cabinet meeting
Monday, 08 March 2010

Ed Bartlett, Tourism Minister.Cabinet will on Monday turn its attention to damning allegations made against Minister of Tourism Ed Bartlett in the multi-million dollar airlift agreement signed with American Airlines (AA) nearly two years ago.

The Tourism Minister has been under fire since the Contractor-General's report tabled in Parliament last Tuesday, accused him of deceiving and defying Cabinet regarding the deal.

The Opposition has called on the Prime Minister to take action against Mr. Bartlett as well as tourism officials John Lynch and Lionel Reid for their roles in the controversial deal.

It stopped short of saying Mr. Bartlett should be dismissed from the Cabinet.

According to Daryl Vaz, Information Minister, all the issues surrounding the report from the Office of the Contractor-General (OCG), will be discussed in detail during Monday's Cabinet meeting.

&quot;It's going to come up on Monday for discussions in terms of Mr. Bartlett's response to what the Contractor General's report said,&quot; he said.

The Tourism Minister has already written to Prime Minister Bruce Golding seeking to outline the sequence of events in the deal.

He insisted that all the parties involved were focused on preventing significant losses in tourism earnings which the withdrawal of American Airlines would have resulted in.

Mr. Bartlett claimed there was total transparency in the deal and Cabinet was not deceived.

[evanovitch]

not a whispa pon di Cabinet meeting but

licky licky eena di paper...ah Bruce, mi wonda wat kine of pension deal dere is fi a one termer? anybody knows

[evanovitch]

Lessons to learn from Sierra Leone

Lessons to learn from Sierra Leone
Friday, 12 March 2010

has drawn attention to a procurement scandal in an African country and how the responsible minister was dealt with, as a possible example for Jamaica to follow.

Sheiku Koroma, the Health Minister of Sierra Leone, has been sent to prison for five years for breaching the country's procurement and contracting guidelines in contravention of the Anti-Corruption Act.

According to the Contractor General, it is an example Jamaica should take careful note of.

Sierra Leone might be a world away, but this is a case which Greg Christie says demonstrates how other jurisdictions in the Commonwealth hold their public officers accountable and more importantly, for what.

On Thursday, the Sierra Leone Health Minister was convicted and sentenced for corruption because he abused his power.

Mr. Christie contends that it is a matter that all Jamaicans should give deep thought to.

Abuse of office

According to Mr. Christie, this is especially important on public procurement matters, government contracts and abuse of office.

Those comments come fresh on the heels of Mr. Christie's recent report on the airlift deal between the Jamaican government and American Airlines.


In that report, the Contractor General said Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett had also abused his power and recommended that he should at least be &quot;sanctioned&quot; and &quot;disciplined&quot;.

Mr. Bartlett countered Mr. Christie's findings saying the deal was a strategy to keep flights coming to Jamaica.

However for Mr. Christie, the minister deliberately misled Cabinet and initiated a deal in which he willfully failed to comply with set guidelines and procedures in procurement.

We asked Mr. Christie what he intended to achieve by highlighting the Sierra Leone case.

His response was for us to &quot;read between the lines.&quot;

Normal business practices

<span style="font-weight: bold">Questions have also been raised as to why Prime Minister Bruce Golding and Cabinet did not query the execution of the deal which they knew did not have Cabinet approval. </span>

According to Mr. Christie, the Prime Minister often speaks of matters of corruption and procurement breaches, but these only fall on deaf ears.

The Contractor General said some of the things highlighted in the Sierra Leone case are what Jamaica's public officials often see as normal business practices

[evanovitch]

Stinging charges between OCG and DunnCox

Stinging charges between OCG and DunnCox
Article Published: Sunday, March 14th, 2010
By DURRANT PATE
Senior Staff Reporter

There is growing bad blood between the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) and one of the country’s largest law firms, DunnCox over the latter’s handling of the investigation into the airlift guarantee agreement between the Government of Jamaica and American Airlines.

Written correspondence between the OCG and DunnCox characterizes the acrimony between both parties, as they levelled stinging charges and verbal sparring at each other.

DunnCox has taken umbrage to the OCG sending a copy of its (OCG) correspondence to the law firm to several government bodies.

The main offending correspondence, dated November 10, 2009 demanded DunnCox’s release of information regarding the cost for legal representation for the director of tourism, John Lynch and chairman of Jamaica Vacations (JAMVAC) Limited, Lionel Reid.

<span style="font-weight: bold">Both Lynch and Reid had sought legal representation from DunnCox at the public’s cost </span>when demanded by the OCG to provide information regarding the American Airline airlift guarantee deal.

DunnCox has questioned the integrity of the OCG and imputed that its action is based solely on retribution and a vindictive motive for launching an investigation into the retention of legal services by the law firm.

DunnCoxx argued that the OCG appeared to be singling out the law firm for “unfair treatment,” while expressing regret that the OCG and themselves have become embroiled in “unpleasant exchange” and hope that this does not continue.

In its letter, DunnCox remarked, “It is clear from the aforementioned that your decision to investigate our retention was done purely as an act of retribution rather than upon any sound concern that impropriety has occurred. Such conduct is an abuse of power.”

Countercharges

In addition, DunnCox contended that despite the many letter requisitions to JAMVAC, it was only the OCG’s letter of November 10, 2009 and subsequent letters addressed to the law firm that were copied to various divisions of government.

“We can only surmise that your decision to copy the divisions was an attempt to embarrass or somehow malign our firm’s good name. Such conduct is an abuse of power,” DunnCox concluded in its letter.

The law firm sought to justify its position that providing the information requested by the OCG could override attorney/client privilege.

However, the OCG has fired back charging that the law firm’s letter of November 10 amounted to “a documented assault on the OCG and the Contractor General.”

The OCG has dismissed DunnCox’s position that the reason for turning the spotlight on it was driven by ill intent towards the law firm.

In its response dated, December 14, 2009, the OCG sought to clarify its position and disabuse DunnCox of the opinion that its investigation of the matter was driven by anything than “a sound concern that impropriety has occurred.”

The OCG has described DunnCox accusations as “baseless and indeed, bordering upon recklessness and lending itself to being libelous.”

Improper and irregular

The OCG in its report on the American Airlines airlift agreement with Jamaica found that the contract for the retention of the legal services of DunnCox was both improperly and irregularly awarded when measured against the requirement of section 4 of the Contractor General’s Act.

This conclusion is based on the fact neither the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism nor the board of JAMVAC granted permission for the execution of the contracts as at June 9, 2009 and that a signed contract was not executed between DunnCox and JAMVAC until June 26, 2009.

According to the OCG, JAMVAC had incurred legal fees amounting to some $441,924.24 for legal services, which were rendered by DunnCox to assist Messrs. Lynch and Reid to provide responses to its enquiries.

“It is the considered opinion and conclusion that these fees cannot be justified by JAMVAC nor should they have ever been permitted to be incurred at the expense of the Jamaican taxpayers, “ the OCG stated.

The OCG has “further concluded and is fortified in its views that the retention of the legal services of DunnCox by JAMVAC amounts to an abuse of positions, privilege and the taxpayers’ money by both Messrs Lynch and Reid.”

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Stinging charges between OCG and DunnCox

I will bet on the <span style="text-decoration: line-through">white </span> Dunn Cox Orret.

Now the IOCG forget who he is dealing with.
He probably don't know or forget who really run things in Jamaica.
He want to bet that he see his post transferred to one more aware??
Don't he realize that Jamaica is always about RANK.
Where have you ever seen a 'rank' question the action of a commission officer in any military?

I thought he had military background?

Or did he really believe that the commission he recieve in the military equal, or trump the commission these people have?

[evanovitch]

Prime Minister defends Tourism Minister over AA deal

Prime Minister defends Tourism Minister over AA deal
Thursday, 25 March 2010

Prime Minister Bruce Golding.The Government has mounted a fierce defence of Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett following the release of a scorching report into the controversial American Airlines agreement, penned and submitted by Contractor General, Greg Christie.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding told Parliament on Thursday afternoon that the Senior Minister did not act in a corrupt manner, when he sought for the agreement to be implemented between Jamaica Vacations Limited and American Airlines.

Prime Minister Golding firmly defended Ed Bartlett in a statement in parliament on Thursday afternoon nearly two weeks after the Tourism Minister became embroiled as the central figure in a stinging report offered by the Contractor General after an in depth investigation.

Mr. Golding stated in parliament that the minister did not lie to Cabinet as was being asserted in the Contractor General's report.

The Prime Minister said while it was incorrect for the Cabinet submission to have referred to the arrangement as an unsolicited proposal, the origin and nature of the American Airlines airlift agreement was fully explained to the Cabinet.

Mr. Golding said the minister did not act corruptly but instead made good judgement in implementing the agreement.

&quot;<span style="font-weight: bold">It is true that other airlines were not canvassed to provide the seats that were needed </span>from the targeted gateway. It was not considered practical to do so. With the impact of the global recession and the toll it was having on the airline industry, most airlines were drastically shedding routes and curtailing flights and it was considered a priority that they would be willing to introduce new routes with the attendant risks and circumstances that will prevail,&quot; Mr. Golding said.

<span style="font-weight: bold">Mr. Golding admitted that the agreement was indeed signed by the Chairman of Jamaica Vacations without the approval of the Cabinet is a clear breach of government policy.</span>

The Prime Minister made it clear to parliament <span style="font-weight: bold">that he told the minister and the Chairman that there must be no recurrence</span>.

Mr. Golding also noted that notwithstanding the breach, his administration is satisfied that the agreement was undertaken in the best interest of the country against the background of a 3.6% increase in stop over arrivals last year.

[sistactry]

Re: Prime Minister defends Tourism Minister over AA deal

dat baxside jackass fe resign yes~~