Edmond Campbell, Senior News Coordinator

The police and Inland Revenue Department are blaming each other for foul-ups in the traffic ticketing system, which have caused at least 10 motorists to be arrested since January, although they had paid traffic fines.

Aggrieved motorists have com-plained to the Office of the Public Defender that warrants were executed for their arrest, years after they settled traffic fines at the Inland Revenue Department.

Acting Public Defender Noel Irving cited a case where one motorist paid his traffic fine in 2001, yet he was jailed after the police issued a warrant for his arrest.

Head of the Police Traffic Division, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ealan Powell, told The Gleaner that warrants are issued by the courts, hence the police had no discretion in executing them.

He explained that a motorist has 21 days from the date of issue to pay for a traffic ticket. If that period elapses, the motorist must appear before the traffic court.

"If you have paid for a ticket, that information should be transmitted from the tax office to the court to inform that the person has paid," said SSP Powell.

Dismissed claims

But Acting Commissioner of Inland Revenue, Viralee Latibeaudiere, yesterday dismissed such claims. She says there is a basic agreement between the police and Fiscal Services where information on the payment of traffic fines is provided in electronic format to the police every other day.

In addition, she said a printed copy of the information is also issued to the police.

Mrs. Latibeaudiere insisted that the Inland Revenue Department could not be blamed for information that was not properly processed by the police, resulting in warrants being issued for the arrest of motorists.

In the meantime, SSP Powell said the police are now allowing motorists the opportunity to present evidence that fines had been paid, before executing warrants.