CHRISTIE

The Office of the Contractor General (OCG)has placed on its website the particulars of the Parliamentary Exemption Motions, which have been approved in favour of parliamentarians, who have entered, or who intend to enter into contracts with the Government.

The move, the office said, was part of its ongoing efforts to ensure pro-bity and transparency in the award of government contracts to parliamentarians.

"To view a summary of the contract Exemption Motions, which have been approved by Parliament in the current parliamentary term, commencing October 2002, interested persons should go to the OCG's website at www.ocg.gov.jm and click on the link 'Contracts entered into by Parliamentarians'," the office said in a statement, yesterday.

Monitor, investigate

In keeping with its previously announced strategic objectives, the OCG said it intended to monitor and/or investigate the subject contracts to ensure that they are (or were) awarded in full compliance with applicable laws and government policies and procure-ment procedures.

The contract Exemption Motion particulars, which are now listed on the OCG's website, were disclosed to the OCG by Parliament in direct response to an initiative which was undertaken last year by the Contractor General, Greg Christie.

On January 12, last year, Mr. Christie had written to the President of the Senate and to the Speaker of the House to propose that Parliament should establish effective mechanisms to ensure that whenever a parliamentarian sought an exemption, under Section 41 of the Constitution, to enter into a contract with the Government, the relevant information would be conveyed to the OCG.

By way of letter, which was dated April 20, Parliament disclosed to the contractor general the names of four parliamentarians whose exemption motions were adopted by the House of Representatives on March 20, this year, after the motions were deliberated upon and recommended for approval by Parliament's recently established Ethics Committee.

Disclosed motions

Parliamentarians whose Exemption Motions were adopted by Parliament and disclosed, on March 20, to the Contractor General.

(1) K.D. Knight, M.P., Q.C., who is a partner in the law firm of Knight, Junor and Samuels "which has entered into a contract with the Financial Sector Adjustment Company Ltd. for the purchase of part of the premises located at 4 Duke Street to carry out the business of a law firm which may from time to time provide services to government entities".

(2) John Junor, M.P., who is a partner in the law firm of Knight, Junor and Samuels "which has entered into a contract with the Financial Sector Adjustment Company Ltd. for the purchase of part of the premises located at 4 Duke Street to carry out the business of a law firm which may from time to time provide services to government entities".

(3) Pearnel Charles, M.P., who is a director of St. Thomas Farms Limited which has entered into a contract with "the Sugar Company, a company owned by the GOJ, to lease to that company lands at Pera in the parish of St. Thomas for growing sugar cane".

(4) Errol Ennis, M.P., who is a director of Petagaye Development Company Limited, "which is currently in the process of selling some lands to the GOJ in connection with the third leg of the North Coast Highway".

An additional motion, made on behalf of Mr. Junor, which was deliberated upon by the Ethics Committee, was deferred for "further deliberations". The motion relates to "a contract with the Government of Jamaica for the purchase of (a residential) property at 28 Dewsbury Avenue, Kingston 6".