Joseph Hibbert, minister of state in the Ministry of Transport and Works, has been implicated in the bribery allegations which claim Jamaican government officials received kickbacks from Mabey & Johnson.

Christie was responding to an editorial in The Sunday Gleaner which called on the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) and the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption to consider launching an investigation into the allegations.

The contractor general said the investigation, which started in January of this year, is progressing satisfactorily.

In a letter to the editor, Christie said sworn statements had already been collected from Hibbert and Deryck Gibson of Deryck A. Gibson Limited, which is the local agent of Mabey & Johnson.

Works ministry complying

Christie disclosed that the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Works had also complied with the formal requisitions of the OCG by furnishing relevant and extensive particulars and documentation concerning the Government of Jamaica contracts awarded to Mabey & Johnson.

The contractor general revealed that he had received additional information and documentation from the British Serious Fraud Office and Mabey & Johnson through Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Serious Crimes, Les Green.

Christie said that once the OCG's special investigation into the matter was concluded, copies of the report would be formally conveyed to Parliament and other relevant State authorities.