Christie bemoans lack of action on recommendations

BY ALICIA DUNKLEY Senior staff reporter dunkleya@jamaicaobserver.com

Thursday, September 23, 2010

CONTRACTOR General Greg Christie has expressed concerns about what he says is the failure of a number of state agencies to act quickly enough, or at all, on the recommendations made by his office in the wake of investigations carried out, obstructing it in the duties he is bound by law to carry out.

In his 23rd annual report for the January to December 2009 period tabled in Parliament Tuesday, the contractor general listed the offices of the Attorney General, the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Corruption Prevention Commission and the Auditor General's Department as among the creatures that continue to give his office grief.

"The OCG continues to be gravely concerned about what appears to be a failure on the part of certain state institutions to which the formal OCG statutory investigations-based referrals are made to either act upon or respond to the said statutory referrals in a timely manner or at all. In many instances, not even an acknowledgment of the receipt of the OCG referrals is received from some of the subject institutions," the contractor general said.

He further pointed out that the OCG has been discharging its government contract monitoring and investigative mandates under the Contractor General Act in precisely the manner Parliament intended it to.

"But having done so, the question must now be asked what becomes of those of the OCG's formal recommendations and referrals that are made to the relevant state authorities pursuant to the expressed dictates and requirements of the law itself? And if nothing becomes of the OCG's referrals or recommendations then what good purpose does the OCG really serve?" Christie asked.

He said Tuesday that the OCG had made over 30 formal criminal offence referrals to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, headed by Paula Llewellyn, but said as at December last year none of these had given rise directly or indirectly to a criminal charge, arrest or prosecution to his knowledge.

Christie, in his 2008 report to Parliament, had stated that if the recommendations of the OCG over the past two decades were given priority attention and speedily implemented much would already have been gained in fighting and even eliminating corruption and the repeated breaches of government procurement rules which continue to cost taxpayers millions, if not billions, yearly.

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COMMENTS (13)

james allen
9/23/2010

yes mr christe,so where is your enforcement powers..dont tell me another toothless figurehead agency created by these crooks ,just to show boat asusual....

Duncan Bertram
9/23/2010

@trevor dawes, Hi-grade and hennessey. @kram Blake, the only time a minister of government went to prison in jamaica was when Portia sent the labourite JAG Smith to prison for using the farm workers money, right after the 1989 elections. & this time she is going to send a lot more. How many of you travel Portia's consituency, you only hear people talk but have never been there. Isnt it more developed than west kgn? Do you have any organistion like the shower posse in there & can police enter it

Richard Edwards
9/23/2010

Christie, you forget which country you operate from, well, let me tell you, you live in a country where we order an enquiry every four seconds and once the findings of the enquiry have been presented for actions to be taken, everybody run. Secondlr, yoyu live i a country where we are only interested in indentifying the problems, we don't care about fixing them. Having said they I urge you to go up a the Grogg Shop a Devon House, order a Martini an relax u nerves.
betterlifeforjamaicans@yahoo.

Island Patriot
9/23/2010

Here, here Mr. Christie. And lest, the DPP and other affected government departments think that you're attention seeking, I hope they get to see the reactions from the at home and abroad Jamaican citizens who aren't willing to settle for more talk but no action evasiveness that these government bodies are using. The weak excuse that the DPP gave two days ago that these cases cannot be addressed because of overwhelmed staff, is a POOR excuse and smoke screen that I as a Jamaican will NOT accept!

9/23/2010

I really like the kind of stance some Jamaicans are taking against curroption, not only should the DPP put up or get out, also the politicians. It is not good business sense to have a none productive sector in any company/country. No production means u can't handle your duties as an officer. I am sure different cases are delegated to different departments within DPP, the number of cases comming in is no excuse for not processing any at all. Do ur job or quit Just like SLB Boss.

Stephen Fox
9/23/2010

Mr Christie's recommendations should be supported by the DPP. The DPP is an appointee of the Parlimentarians in power. The constitution allows the DPP to be removed by the Parlimentarians in power. Therefore the DPP is not independent. If the DPP is the single office that can bring criminal charges in the country then our juducial system is flawed. They way forward is to change the constitution. The Parlimentarians have far too much power. A balance and a seperation is indicated.

Kram Blake
9/23/2010

Tell us Duncan Bertram, how has Portia contributed to weeding out corruption in all her years in parliment? There has been no tangible contribution on her part.

N Manley Blythe
9/23/2010

Well said, Chuck Emanuel! Ms Llewellyn must work towards getting the help she needs, be it staff or system improvement. She must lobby the GOJ to see to this.
I fully agree - lead, or leave!

Trevor Dawes
9/23/2010

Duncan Bertram, you, sir, are a fool. If Portia Simpson-Miller can't weed out the criminal and corrupt in the PNP why expect her to do better if she's PM once more. She had a chance to do just that once she became PNP leader and she's passed on it. She represents a garrison constituency which, by all accounts, lags behind all others in terms of development and she's going to weed out corruption? What have you been smoking and/or drinking?

Trevor Dawes
9/23/2010

Greg Christie is correct in his observation that if referrals and recommendations from his office had been acted on in a timely manner we would not be talking about gov't corruption. That said, it's been quite clear for sometime now, in excess of these last 3 yrs, that gov't is not interested in tackling and fighting corruption despite our leaders' so-called abhorrence of it. In the case of our leaders, just all talk and hypocrisy.

David Armstrong
9/23/2010

Mr. Christies is a one man army fighting a culture of corruption and unethical behavior that permeates the political system and their affiliated entities. The apathy and indifference that many Jamaicans show is inexcusable and mostly responsibly for the lack of action to get problems fixed. What is also disturbing is that many Jamaicans are enslaved to their political party. If their party is guilty of some wrong doing their attitude is to ignore the problem. Until Jamaicans learn to put JA first and expect and demand solutions to problems the culture will remain the same.

Duncan Bertram
9/23/2010

Greg Christie should realize that most elected official go on vacation when they are sworn in. They forget why they were given the job and only intentions are to get rich quick b4 the next election. Both party have politicians who are guilty of that offence, but this current admin. seem to be trying to top the list. But I have confidence in 1 politician, Portia Miller. She will ensure that corruption is weeded out the day she is re-elected.

Chuck Emanuel
9/23/2010

It is puzzling why these people would spend their time in the Office of the DPP thinking that this Job is about entitlement, as opposed to interpreting and effectuation the Rule od Law. An example would be the arrogance implied by suggesting that one does not want to be "distracted" ?
Well, please resign and open your own Business, spare the taxpayers the burden of this do nothing philosophy. How can we support the DPP, when she is always engaged in the paralysis of analysis ?
Lead, or leave!

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Christie bemoans lack of action on recommendations