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Full Text | Creary refutes corruption claims in damning Petrojam report

Published:Thursday | July 2, 2020 | 12:00 AM
Creary: My integrity has remained unquestioned and untarnished in both my private and public life.

Former Petrojam board member Richard Creary has taken issue with sections of the damning Integrity Commission report on malpractices and corruption at the state-owned oil refinery.

The report claims that Creary was part of the panel that interviewed resigned general manager Floyd Grindley who has been cited for numerous breaches at the entity.

But Creary, who is also the Mayor of Port Maria, said he was not a part of the interview panel, neither was he appointed to the Petrojam board to enable corruption.

Creary said, while he was invited to the interview, he indicated that he had other commitments and could not attend.

See full text below:

I hear it being carried in various sections of the media that I was a part of a panel that interviewed former General Manager Floyd Grindley for the position and that I was somehow appointed to the board to enable corruption.

Let me, state categorically that I was NOT present at the interview and I challenge the Commission or anyone else to provide evidence to the contrary.

At that time I had NEVER met Floyd Grindley and I did NOT meet him until he commenced his employment as General Manager at Petrojam.

I replied to written questions as well as willingly attended an interview at The Integrity Commission and AT NO TIME was I asked if I had interviewed Mr Grindley!

Even though I have not yet had an opportunity to go through the report, I take this opportunity to rubbish another claim in the report that has been carried by sections of the media which makes reference to the fact that I have known Dr Andrew Wheatley since 2003 and questioned whether my appointment was to facilitate corruption.

I find this assertion as ridiculous as it is offensive and as a damaging speculation that has no base in fact.

I do not know of any minister in any People's National Party or Jamaica Labour Party Administration who has appointed state boards of persons UNKNOWN to them to run the country's affairs.

This is also true of the private sector, which often results in persons holding directorships in multiple companies. 

That statement would be applicable to 99 per cent of everyone who has ever served on a Government board spanning decades!

It is a most unfortunate conclusion from an agency that has INTEGRITY in its name as it is a baseless statement that strives to impugn my INTEGRITY which has remained unquestioned and untarnished in both my private and public life. 

I have NOT seen it reported that I participated in any board action or deliberation that facilitated or enabled ANY corrupt or criminal action.

Let me again make it clear that as a board member, I did not take part in the day to day management of Petrojam.

Due to the impasse with Venezuela and their board representatives making themselves unavailable, the board did NOT meet for several months prior to allegations of impropriety being made public, many of which I heard about in the media for the first time. 

My life has been one of service, firstly to the people of St Mary through the Kiwanis Club and the St Mary Chamber of Commerce in my 20s prior to reluctantly entering politics to serve the people of Richmond.

Over the years, my service has expanded to include appointments to state boards and in my entire life my name has NEVER been linked to corruption in any capacity.

I hope this will set the record straight, the report will be corrected to accurately reflect the truth and that media houses that carried the erroneous and damaging stories will set the record straight. 

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