Gov’t urged to state position on IOP ruling
OPPOSITION Leader Andrew Holness has urged the Government to state whether it plans to appeal the Supreme Court’s ruling which rejected a judicial review of the powers of the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) in the Independent Oversight Panel (IOP) issue.
Holness made the call in questions he tabled in the House of Representatives yesterday.
Justice Lennox Campbell ruled in the Supreme Court last Friday against an application by Minister of Transport, Works and Housing Dr Omar Davies for a judicial review of the OCG’s powers to probe the IOP, which was established by the Government last year to monitor three major investment projects — the North-South Toll Highway, the Fort Augusta Port project and the Gordon Cay expansion.
The Opposition asked: “Will the Government appeal the ruling of the Supreme Court denying the application of the Minister of Transport and Works?
“Now that the application has been denied, will the honourable prime minister direct the ministers and the ministries under their charge to comply with the Office of the Contractor General’s requests?
Will the prime minister state whether or not her Government will move to amend the Office of the Contractor General’s Act in line with the application made by the minister?”
The ministry had brought the court action after the OCG started a probe of the panel and refused to back down.