The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and several other public bodies named by Contractor General Greg Christie as delinquent for failing to submit their first Quarterly Contract Award Report for 2007, have taken issue with the action taken by Mr. Christie.

In a statement to the media yesterday, Mr. Christie named 32 public bodies whom he had reported to the Director of Public Prosecutions, Kent Pantry, for criminal action to be taken against them for failing to submit their quarterly reports.

Noting that this was the second time in three months that his office had been forced to take such action against public bodies, Mr. Christie noted that the 32 public entities were among 190 public bodies which were warned in October last year that they would be prosecuted if they failed to comply.

He noted that all public bodies are required to submit a report to the Office of the Contractor General by law and entities that fail to do so commit a criminal offence.

Disappointed

But ODPEM Director General Ronald Jackson says he is disappointed in Mr. Christie's move to have his entity prosecuted when the report had been submitted before the April 30 deadline. ODPEM was named as one of the 19 repeat offenders by Mr. Christie.

"That is false and I am writing them and asking them to make a retraction, because I have all the records here in front of me suggesting that [we have submitted the report] ..."

Jamaica Trade and Invest, formerly Jamaica Promotions (JAMPRO), has also denied the allegations by Mr. Christie, noting that an email from the OCG indicating that the report had been received on the given date of April 30, the deadline for the submission of the report, had even been sent back to the entity.

And public relations officer at the Students' Loan Bureau, Analisa Downes, also said the bureau had submitted its report on the given deadline, but had not been able to verify whether it was received on time by the OCG.

Contractor General's repeat offenders list

1. Agricultural Credit Board

2. Bellevue Hospital

3. Edna Manley School of the Visual and Performing Arts

7. G.C. Foster College of Physical Education

8. Jamaica Business Development Centre

9. Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO)

10. Jamaica Racing Commission

11. Jamaica Railway Corporation

14. Ministry of Labour and Social Security

15. Ministry of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture

18. National Works Agency

19. Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management

20. Office of the Parliamentary Counsel

21. Portland Parish Council

23. Social Development Commission

24. St. Catherine Parish Council