THE Ministry of Justice has declared it is not the entity responsible for the $1.7 billion belonging to the Carreras Limited, following a United Kingdom Privy Council award.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry said:

“With reference to the article published in the November 19, 2012 edition of the Daily Observer entitled ‘What did the Justice Ministry do with Carreras’ $1.7 billion?’, the headline did not reflect the content of the story or the actual facts at hand, and was, therefore, misleading.

The Ministry of Justice handles payments for the Attorney General’s Chambers, and is, therefore, charged with paying awards and indemnities ordered by the courts against the Attorney General in litigation involving the State, out of funds appropriated by Parliament in each fiscal year’s budget for this purpose.

“In the case of Commissioner of Taxpayer Audit and Assessment v Cigarette Company of Jamaica Limited, the Ministry of Justice’s only role so far has been to pay the legal costs awarded against the State as a result of the Privy Council’s judgement delivered on March 13, 2012 in favour of the Cigarette Company of Jamaica Limited. As at November 14, 2012 the Ministry of Justice has paid all costs ordered by the court in that case.

“The article’s headline suggested that there was something amiss in relation to funds received by the Ministry of Justice for the account of Carreras. For the record, the sum of $1.7 billion which the Privy Council has ordered to be paid to the Cigarette Company of Jamaica Limited was never received by the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Justice was not tasked with keeping these monies in escrow.”

Editor’s note: We sincerely regret the error and apologise for any inconvenience caused.