DPP awaiting document from police in Joe Hibbert matter

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

DIRECTOR of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn yesterday blamed the failure of the local police to furnish outstanding material for the delay in her office sending a request to United Kingdom (UK) law enforcers for evidence in the alleged corruption case involving former state minister Joseph Hibbert and the bridge building firm Mabey & Johnson.

Hibbert, the member of Parliament for East Rural St Andrew, was named as a person of interest in a court case in the UK where the bridge building firm pleaded guilty to bribing Ghanaian and Jamaican officials.

Yesterday, Llewellyn provided an update on the matter after the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) accused her office of not asking the UK law enforcement officials for the relevant evidence in the probe.

Llewellyn, in a release, said it was determined that further material was needed from local investigators and this request was set out in a letter to the police.

Having failed to receive a written response from police investigators, the DPP said a copy of this letter was sent to Assistant Commissioner of Police Les Green, but to date there has been no further response. "The request remains incomplete and has not been dispatched to the UK authorities for processing," Llewellyn said.

Noting that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) approaches all matters with the same level of objectivity and professionalism, Llewellyn said as soon as the local investigators make the requested material available to her office, the request will be completed and forwarded to the English Central Authority.

Tracing the chronology of events in the matter, the DPP said the mater was examined and findings were published following a referral from the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) pertaining to allegations of corruption and irregularity relating to certain Jamaican Government bridge building contracts that were awarded to Mabey and Johnson.

Llewellyn said after perusing documents from the OCG last March, she was satisfied that there was sufficient compelling material to be referred to the commissioner of police and his assigned investigators for further enquiries to be made in respect of the alleged actions of Hibbert and any other possible persons of interest, as yet unknown, for the purpose of possible criminal prosecution.

She explained further that the Central Authority of the United Kingdom made a request under the Mutual Assistance Scheme to the ODPP to apply for a search warrant of Hibbert's premises pertaining to the matter which was being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office.

The DPP said these requests were handled by the 15-member unit which is headed by senior deputy director of public prosecutions Caroline Hay and an individual was expressly assigned to work on the file.

"The application for the search warrant was processed and I signed the necessary authorisation for the application to be made in court. The order for the search warrant was obtained and executed on Hibbert's premises, material was procured and sent back to England."

Sometime in 2010, Llewellyn said, a request for assistance in Hibbert's matter was received from the police investigators and an attorney from the Mutual Assistance Unit was assigned to work on the matter with Hay.

"A first draft of the request was prepared and clarification was sought from the police investigators in respect of the exact charges that were being investigated in relation to Mr Hibbert," Llewellyn explained, adding that communications to the police were provided orally.

Correspondence, she said, was sent on January 4, 2011 and telephone calls made to the police seeking confirmation of the charges. This was subsequently received, albeit orally.

This March, Llewellyn said the senior deputy director of public prosecutions travelled to England to have professional consultations with the Central Authority in relation to shared issues under the Mutual Assistance Scheme. "She took with her draft documents/draft copy and other documents of the request in respect of the Joseph Hibbert matter; she met with the relevant officials as well as investigators in the office of the Central Authority and along with officials discussed the status of the request and possible approaches which were at the time in our purview," the DPP said.

On her return to Jamaica, the DPP said Hay and the assigned officer reviewed the draft request as well as all the material in their possession. The draft was further amended with specific focus on particular individuals identified by the police as relevant to their investigations.

"On careful review of all material in our possession and mindful of the discussions held in the United Kingdom, it was determined that further material was needed to justify exploration into privately held data of the persons named. It was on this basis that the ODPP, as the central authority recommenced telephone contact with the police investigators," she said.

In those telephone conversations, she said, the assigned officer from the MLA Unit set out what further material was necessary to ground critical aspects of the request.

The DPP, however, would not provide any further details, noting that this is still a continuing investigation and no steps will be taken to undermine the investigation.

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COMMENTS (16)

Island Patriot
11/1/2011

Bwoy, mediocrity has no limits, especially in our justice system eenh?

RED ANTS
11/1/2011

@Luv Quest,do you know PSM constituency.i wouldn't be surprise you not even know half way tree square much less to make comment on PSM constituency.

Hotta Fire
11/1/2011

Corruption is taking over Jamaica now more than ever...

Luv Quest
11/1/2011

The Trafigura affair is going to the courts in this month and the DPP will be required to act on behalf of the Dutch authorities to get information on the donation to the Opposition (then Government), by the Dutch company. Get it together Paula Llewellyn because the next few months you will be so busy you might have to hire an assistant if you haven’t already done so.

RED ANTS
11/1/2011

@Tajai Grant,I wouldn't be surprise if the DPP becomes the next public official joining the JLP ranks to your pleasure.

2kool .
11/1/2011

@ Jay Brown - Greg Christie's contract expires Nov. 2012. This would be a perfect fit.
@Tajai Grant - This has nothing to do with politics. It's sheer incompetence. And by the way the DPP's office should never be politicized but in JA everything seems to be surrounded by politics.

norris Richards
11/1/2011

The DPP is a lawyer and the DPP, she should know that everything she does must be documented, that is what professional people do. This DPP is making too many excuses for her in action.

Tajai Grant
11/1/2011

Base on what is outlined above by the DPP it is straight forward that the case is being handled in a professional and timely as can be manner. The PNP is just playing politics. The police need to speed up the investigation so that justice can be served.

devon brown
11/1/2011

I agree with Jay Brown she always has an answer that doesnt put on ounce of responsibilty on her and ever with a smiling face.

Nejeeper KNG
11/1/2011

“The contractor general has written Prime Minister Andrew Holness in an attempt to initiate talks regarding the concerns of the Office of the Contractor General, and the pervasive perception of corruption in public contracting in Jamaica.” The corruption range from the street level petty thieves to high rank officials and secret MOUs; the average J’can is corrupted it is not just people in government. We have to take a look at ourselves by picking the beam from our own eyes. @J Brown true words.

avid equin
11/1/2011

I third that
Greg Christie for DPP

Stephen Fox
11/1/2011

A response from the police unit is in order. I wonder whether we will uncover another legal hurdle that protects the perpetrator.

0o k
11/1/2011

I think Mr. Hibbert built a bridge too far!

Chuck Emanuel
11/1/2011

@Jay Brown : I concur !

Chuck Emanuel
11/1/2011

Public Service is a Public TRUST. These people are intent on just maintaining the status quo of corruption by constantly seeking to blame someone else for their ineptitude. The office of the DPP is entrenched in our constitution, however the Prosecutor herself is not entrenched. She must be asked to resign for her incompetence and for being an obstacle to justice in terms of blockaiding our courts. Ethics reform must be a priority for our Institutions, particularly Governance.

Jay Brown
11/1/2011

One thing that this DPP is good as it passing the buck. We need a new DPP ONE THAT WILL ACTUALLY take action. I say Greg Christe for DPP

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DPP awaiting document from police in Joe Hibbert matter