Petrojam gets back money for Wheatley surprise birthday party

A letter from Winston Watson, general manager of Petrojam, has revealed that the $1,370,850 that was spent on a surprise birthday party for former science, energy, and technology minister Dr Andrew Wheatley has been reimbursed.

The letter, dated January 10, 2019, indicated that "on Monday, December 31, 2018, a cheque was received under cover of a letter from Elizabeth Moyston" and outlined that the amount received represented the total cost of the birthday party.

Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis conducted a probe, which found that Petrojam had been charged US$2,427 for food and beverage and US$1,000 for a four-tiered topsy turvy chocolate cake to host a surprise birthday party for Wheatley at a hotel in Montego Bay, St James, on January 9 last year.

Following the auditor general's report, which examined the operations of Petrojam and its parent company, the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica, Wheatley said that he was in talks with friends about repaying the funds spent on the party.