THE Government’s chief spokesman said the $31-million received by the ruling People’s National Party (PNP) from Dutch oil trader Trafigura Beheer was yesterday on its way back to Holland – four months after the Opposition raised a red flag about the donation that later led to the resignation of a Cabinet minister.

Donald Buchanan, the information minister and general-secretary of the PNP, did not say how the money was sent or when it would be delivered to the oil trader, but he assured journalists attending yesterday’s post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House that a commitment that he had given over a week ago that the money would be returned “within seven days or so” would be met.

“I am very confident that the return of the Trafigura money is at an end,” Buchanan said.

“The money has been sent in full. I expect that the money will be delivered today, tomorrow or so, but the money has been sent to Trafigura,” he added.

It was not clear, however, why the money was just being returned after Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller gave clear instructions more than three months ago that the money be returned after the saga around the donation began to hurt the ruling party.

Last October, Trafigura, which trades oil on Jamaica’s behalf, came to national attention when Opposition Leader Bruce Golding exposed a controversial transfer of J$31 million from the company to the PNP shortly before the party’s September annual conference. The money was wired to an account on which Buchanan’s predecessor, Colin Campbell, was a signatory. It was said by the PNP to be a campaign donation, but was later defined by Trafigura as part of a commercial arrangement.

Campbell has since resigned as a Cabinet minister as well as PNP general-secretary, although he has remained in the Senate.

Buchanan’s declaration yesterday came amidst unconfirmed reports that Dutch Government investigators may be visiting the island soon to probe the matter.

Golding told last November’s annual conference of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) that the Dutch authorities had agreed to carry out an investigation into the scandal.

Last Friday, Opposition Senator Dr Christopher Tufton called on the Government to ensure that investigations were carried out into possible money laundering in the passage of the funds into the PNP’s coffers.

“We know for certain that large sums of money were transferred into an account, which before that point was dormant, and a large sum of money was taken out shortly after,” said Tufton. “The truth is that, in such a case as this, based on the money laundering legislation, it seems to me that a red flag should have gone up that should trigger some reporting mechanism and some investigative mechanism.”

Last month, also, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce called for closure to the issue.

“The JCC and, we suspect, all of Jamaica, have been anxiously awaiting clarification of what transpired and what corrective action will be taken to deal with the issue, as well as to prevent its recurrence,” the chamber said.

The chamber said it had hoped that the Trafigura issue would have been dealt with finally before the end of 2006.