THE Manatt, Phelps & Phillips controversy in which the Bruce Golding Administration has been embroiled for the past month deepened yesterday with a Washington Post report stating that attorneys from the American blue-chip law firm made contact with US Government officials and that one of those meetings was attended by a Jamaican minister.

According to the Washington Post story, Justice Department records filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) showed that Manatt signed a contract to represent the Government of Jamaica on October 1, about a month after a New York grand jury indictment against Tivoli Gardens strongman Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke was unsealed.

“Attorneys from Manatt had at least six contacts with Obama administration officials over the next three months, including one meeting that included a Jamaican minister and officials from the State and Justice departments, according to US officials and documents,” the Post story said.

“Those contacted by the law firm included John McShane, the White House intelligence officer for the Western Hemisphere, and Bisa Williams, a deputy assistant secretary of state who has since been nominated as ambassador to Niger, documents show,” the newspaper said.

“The records filed by Manatt under FARA regulations say only that “treaty issues” were discussed. But administration officials confirmed that the conversations were primarily focused on the Jamaican Government’s opposition to extraditing Coke,” the Washington Post story said.

Coke is wanted by the US Government on drug- and arms-trafficking charges. A request for his extradition was submitted to the Jamaican Government in August last year. However, the Golding Government has refused to process the request, arguing that the evidence submitted by the Americans against Coke was illegally obtained.

The row over the extradition request has strained relations between Kingston and Washington, resulting in the US State Department questioning Jamaica’s commitment to law enforcement co-operation.

However, Golding has said that his Government had indicated to the US that if it had other evidence against Coke that was not gathered in violation of Jamaican law, the justice minister would be prepared to accept the evidence and issue the necessary authority to proceed.

Jamaica first became aware of the Manatt issue when Opposition parliamentarian Dr Peter Phillips raised it in the House on March 16. Phillips said that information on a US Government website regarding a contract between the Jamaican Government and Manatt named attorney Harold Brady as acting on behalf of the Government.

However, Prime Minister Golding denied that the Government had retained the law firm, and Brady has since said he signed the contract in error.

The resulting controversy has grown more puzzling with each charge, counter charge, and a public squabble between Brady and Information Minister Daryl Vaz, who insists that the Government has no contract with Manatt.

Last week, the ruling Jamaica Labour Party asked its general secretary, Karl Samuda, who is also the minister of industry, commerce and investment, to deal with the issue as it relates to the face-off between Brady and Vaz.

However, that decision has been criticised by the Opposition People’s National Party and the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce which have both suggested that it warrants an independent investigation.