INFORMATION Minister Daryl Vaz says he has never questioned the functions of the contractor general but the method where persons named in investigations are perceived to be wrongdoers before they are confirmed to be.

Vaz yesterday suggested that Contractor General Greg Christie should take a page from the book of Helen Garlick, the well-respected British barrister who heads the special investigation into the activities of the former Government of the Turks and Caicos.

He pointed to a recent statement by Garlick, who in response to media queries, said: "The most important duties carried by anyone who is conducting a major criminal investigation are to preserve the confidentiality of the investigation and to protect the rights of suspects to their privacy and in the event they are charged, to a fair trial."

Vaz said this should be the conduct of any state agency that was carrying out an investigation.

"I would much prefer to see a conclusion of an investigation with findings rather than what is deemed and seem a sensational announcement of an investigation with pieces of information without the conclusion of an investigation," Vaz said as he addressed the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing held at Jamaica House in Kingston yesterday. Last week, Government announced that it was going ahead with plans to sell its 60 per cent share of the Sandals Whitehouse Hotel in Westmoreland to Gorstew Limited, but welcomed the contractor general's insistence that he wants to investigate the sale.

Before that, Christie had recommended in a 22-page letter to Prime Minister Bruce Golding that he halt the sale of the property and restart the divestment process under the supervision of his office, saying he had concerns about the sale.

Yesterday, Vaz sought to clarify statements made last week in which he expressed concerns about the approach being used by the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) in some investigations, noting that this had become a deterrent for persons who were asked to serve the country.

In seeking to clarify the statements, Vaz said neither the Government nor himself wanted any war of words with the contractor general.

"The point I raised which has not come across is more in relation to the announcements on the initiation of investigations, and without getting any further in a cross talk, to reaffirm commitment of myself and Government in terms of the mandate of the contractor general and the job being carried out with a view to stamping out corruption in Jamaica," Vaz said.

"So I hope this will clarify so that both the contractor general and the wider public will understand clearly the point that I am making and not get it confused with any other utterances that may be from other people from time to time," he added further.

Meanwhile, contrary to claims by Christie that he had not received all the requisite information, Vaz maintained that to the best of his knowledge the information had been delivered to the OCG.

Last week, Vaz said the Government had furnished Christie with the requisite information based on his letter to the prime minister.

"I can't speak to actual documentation as I was not asked by the OCG to provide anything because I was not involved, but both the Cabinet office and the Office of the Prime Minister have indicated to me that they have met all the requirements from the contractor general in relation to this specific investigation that is being launched," Vaz said.

He noted also that there had not been any further request for information from the OCG.