Vaz says vote-buying charge vendetta
DARYL Vaz confirmed yesterday that he was being investigated by the political ombudsman, Bishop Herro Blair, for alleged vote buying during last year’s Jamaica Labour Party’s elections for deputy leader.
But Vaz, who was the fundraising manager for James Robertson during the election for the deputy leader post for the party’s Area Council Two – St Thomas, Portland, St Mary and St Ann – accused the party’s caretaker for East Portland Dr Dennis Minott of attempting to halt his spiralling popularity in a bid to derail his plans to become the party’s candidate in that constituency.
He added that Dr Minott’s decision to ask the political ombudsman to investigate the allegations of vote buying was another attempt to discredit him, pointing out that of all the 16 constituencies in Area Council Two, the constituency of East Portland where he has worked and has a political interest was the only one that has had complaints of bribery and corruption.
“What he (Minott) is doing is because he wants to hurt me politically and in doing so he is mashing up the party,” Vaz charged.
Dr Minott declined yesterday to comment on Vaz’s allegations. “I have no comment to make on what he is saying,” Dr Minott told the Observer.
Robertson defeated incumbent Olivia “Babsy” Grange for the post of deputy leader for Area Council 2 amidst charges by party leader Edward Seaga that “tainted” money was used to fund Robertson’s campaign.
Seaga later retracted the tainted money allegation.
Vaz has also questioned the political ombudsman’s authority to investigate the alleged vote buying charges.
“I am leaving the matter up to my lawyer even though I don’t think that he (political ombudsman) has the authority to do so but I will do what he (attorney) says.”
Last week Bishop Blair wrote to Vaz requesting that he make himself available for questioning in connection with the alleged bribery.
Yesterday, Vaz’s attorney, Tom Tavares-Finson told the Observer that he was looking at the letter and would reply to the ombudsman soon.
“I am in the process of studying the position and the implication of the letter with a view of giving a response next week,” he said.
Dr Minott said, however, that he believed that the political ombudsman was the competent authority to investigate the claims and that “we should allow him to make his ruling”.
But Karl Samuda, the JLP general secretary, yesterday described Dr Minott’s action as “very unfortunate”.
Samuda said that so far the party’s investigations have not revealed any irregularities in the alleged vote buying scandal and warned that Dr Minott’s action “will have serious implications for his caretakership”.