Contractor general concludes airlift probe

The Office of the Contractor General (OCG) says it has concluded its special investigation into the airlift guarantee agreements entered into between American Airlines (AA) and Jamaica Vaca-tions Limited (JAMVAC), and the retention of the legal services of the law firm DunnCox by JAMVAC.

"In keeping with the requirements of the Contractor General Act, copies of the OCG's special report of investigation were today (yesterday) despatched by the contractor general to nine state authorities," the OCG said in a release.

The 333-page report is to be published on the OCG's website at
www.ocg.gov.jm
, but only after the document has been formally tabled in both houses of Parliament.

The OCG said the investigation was commenced in reaction to two events.

Concerned citizen

"First, on August 12, 2008, the OCG received a letter from a concerned citizen which alleged,
inter alia
, that the Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, had insisted upon entering into the airlift agreements, despite the fact that several persons had rejected the proposal and had refused to provide financial support for same, as they did not see it as being of sufficient worth," the contractor general's office said.

"The second event, which influenced the OCG's decision to commence its investigation, was the fact of certain allegations and comments which were published in two media articles which appeared in
The Gleaner
newspaper publications of September 4 and 5, 2008."