BISHOP Herro Blair, the political ombudsman, ruled yesterday that he does not have the authority to probe allegations of vote-buying and other forms of bribery in East Portland during last November’s election for a deputy leader to be in charge of the Jamaica Labour Party’s eastern district.

“I am finished with the investigation,” Blair told the Observer last night.

Earlier, he had written to Tom Tavares-Finson, the lawyer for JLP activist Daryl Vaz, essentially informing him of the abandonment of the investigation that had been called by the party’s East Portland caretaker Dr Dennis Minott.

“My preliminary enquiry has disclosed I have no authority over the internal rules and operations of the party as political ombudsman,” Blair said in that letter. “Therefore, there is no need for your client to assist in the process.”

Minott was not available last night for comment.

Vaz was in charge of fund-raising for James Robertson, the candidate who beat Olivia “Babsy” Grange for the Area Council 2 deputy leader’s post. Robertson had defied JLP leader Edward Seaga and challenged Grange.

Minott subsequently wrote to Blair calling for the investigation, saying that he took that route after waiting for weeks for a response from top JLP officials to his complaint of vote-buying – apparently in favour of Robertson.

He claimed that persons who swore affidavits about being bribed have received threats, which were reported to the police.

Minott’s decision to take his complaint to the ombudsman angered the party brass, who argued that he had brought the JLP into disrepute. He is to face a disciplinary hearing before the JLP’s Central Executive, the highest decision-making body outside the annual conference.

At the same time, the JLP had questioned Blair’s legal authority to investigate an issue concerning an internal party matter – a view that was taken by Solicitor-General Michael Hylton in his interpretation of the Political Ombudsman Act.

Blair had appointed the firm Security Advisory and Management Services Limited, headed by former police chief Col Trevor MacMillan, to probe the bribery allegations, but yesterday said that he had a fortnight ago decided to end the investigation. The investigators were told to bring in all the information they had collected, from which a summary was being prepared.

“The summary I will have for Dr Minott at an early date,” Blair told the Observer.

Tavares-Finson had asked Blair for copies of the documents filed in relation to the probe and the names of persons who had made allegations, but the ombudsman yesterday said he would not supply these – a seemingly moot point given his decision to close down the investigation.

“I do not propose to disclose information of names of any persons who made statements in the matter to me except to Dr Minott, on his request or with his permission,” Blair said in his letter to the lawyer.

Yesterday, Vaz told the Observer that he hoped the JLP’s secretariat will now ask Minott to co-operate in passing on whatever information he may have to allow the party to proceed with its own investigations into the allegations.

“. It has implications for the party and myself and the party should now follow through and (arrive at a conclusion to) determine if the claims are valid or not,” Vaz said.

On Monday Minott and the JLP’s East Portland executive had met with JLP chairman Bruce Golding on the matter and later Minott alone had a meeting with party leader Seaga, Golding, general secretary Karl Samuda and other senior officers, JLP sources said. Nothing was resolved, one source said.

In another twist to the issue, Vaz and Robertson were earlier this month cleared by the police of allegations that ‘tainted money’ had been used to fund the campaign – an allegation that was initially made by Seaga although he later retracted. Forbes said investigators had found no evidence to support the claim.