RETIRED Justice Boyd Carey, chairman of the Finsac Enquiry, yesterday offered little regarding the revelation of the multimillion-dollar payments made to members of the Commission.

On Monday, Radio Jamaica (RJR) reported that the budget to conduct the ongoing enquiry into the 1990s financial collapse was a whopping $80 million, including a $15-million payment for Carey.

After adjourning yesterday’s sitting where former Life of Jamaica head Danny Williams faced questions, Carey told journalists that he had nothing to do with the budget of the Commission.

The retired justice said only that he was happy to know that he “could look forward to something”. He then added that his payments were negotiated with the finance ministry.

“I don’t think I have any other comment to make,” Carey declared, before he concluded the impromptu interview.

Documents obtained by RJR under the Access to Information Act showed that other members of the Finsac Commission, Worrick Bogle and Charles Ross, are slated to earn $7.5 million each for their efforts.

Carey is being paid at a daily rate of US$2,400 over a 70-day period while Ross and Bogle are being paid US$1,200 daily over the same period.

Yesterday morning as the enquiry resumed, attorneys representing the Jamaica Redevelopment Foundation, former finance minister Dr Omar Davies and former Finsac head Patrick Hylton walked out of the sitting when Carey refused to allow them to make presentations.

Carey responded to allegations of bias made by the attorneys via a letter to the governor general, copied to the prime minister and the minister of finance saying that the solicitor general had advised that there was no basis for the accusation.

The chairman then told the attorneys that the issue was closed and the enquiry should continue.

Insisting that they be heard, the attorneys then exited the sitting.

In the meantime, the Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA) has knocked the Government for being insensitive in what it calls a “grand breach of faith” regarding the cost of the enquiry.

“The rates being charged for the Finsac Enquiry are not only unbelievable but is a breach of faith by the Government with the people of Jamaica,” JCSA president Wayne Jones said.

He called for a review of the entire process of the enquiry, with a view to attaining a more realistic approach.

Jones warned that if Government did not take steps to prevent recurrence of these kinds of decisions, then the union would find it difficult to continue providing the co-operation and understanding requested of workers.

“Public sector workers, like tens of thousands of other workers have, over the past years, been subjected to wage freeze, wage compression, wage cuts, reduction in hours and have lost their jobs all in the name of economic crisis and the need for shared sacrifice,” Jones said.

“And as this is happening, a few preferred persons are singled out for these preposterous payments,” he added.