KINGSTON, Jamaica – Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell has appointed a private sector-led committee to undertake a comprehensive review of the petroleum trade in Jamaica and make recommendations to protect the integrity of the trade.

According to a release Thursday, the committee is mandated to examine and review the protocols and regulations governing the trade, act as an impartial arbiter in the investigations being undertaken to identify the source, nature and susceptibility of the locally distributed petrol to contamination and illegal activity.  

The committee is to be chaired by engineer and business executive Noel daCosta with membership comprising Howard Hamilton; president, Jamaica Manufacturers Association (JMA), Metry Seaga; Dolcie Allen – CEO, Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC); Leonard Green – president, Jamaica Gasoline Retailers Association (JGRA) and Kent LaCroix president of  Automobile Dealers Association of Jamaica.

The committee is mandated to provide the minister with its first report within 30 days.

Meanwhile, the minister has disclosed that, as advised by legal council, the names of petrol stations and suppliers implicated in the substandard petrol investigations will remain classified.

“The investigations are ongoing and as a responsible minister of government it would be unwise for me to make statements before the completion of due process and in a manner that would negatively impact the trade and the businesses of law-abiding players in the industry,” Paulwell emphasised.