$530 million in judgment debt paid out in 2023

Minister of Justice Delroy Chuck says $530 million was paid out last year in judgment debt for 182 matters. Chuck made the disclosure during his contribution to the 2024/25 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, May 21.

Last year, the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service allocated $750 million towards judgment debts.

Chuck noted that when he became minister of justice, judgment debt “was a major challenge”.

“I can tell you that there were lawyers who were begging me ... the Government owes them millions of dollars, and I thought it is unfair that they get the case settled, they have a judgment and yet they couldn’t get their money. So, under the former minister of finance, Audley Shaw in 2017, we urged him to let us have enough to pay up the judgment debts and in 2017/18 we got $1.5 billion and paid off all the backlogs,” he stated.

“What is important, since then every completed or settled case we have been able to pay. So, no one can say that they win a judgment, or they have unsettled claim and they have not gotten paid. We want to make sure that when people sue the Government for whatever infraction that they get their money, and under this administration we have done it for the last eight years,” he added.

The Government has paid out $5.8 billion in judgment debt since 2016, with a high of $1.5 billion in 2017/2018 for infractions that occurred in previous administrations.

A total of $680 million has been earmarked to settle claims during the current financial year.

– JIS