Hibbert

THE nearly two-year-old Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government was hit by the resignation of a fourth high-ranking official yesterday when Joseph Hibbert, state minister for transport and works, stepped aside.

Hibbert has, however, kept his seat as member of parliament for East Rural St Andrew.

The resignation comes six months after he was first named a subject in a corruption probe by investigators in the United Kingdom (UK).

A statement from Jamaica House said Hibbert's resignation followed a meeting with Prime Minister Bruce Golding on Monday.

According to the Jamaica House statement, Hibbert said in his letter to Golding that "in view of the allegations of bribery of Jamaican government officials, made in the UK courts by the British firm Mabey & Johnson Limited in which I am implicated, I have today decided to submit my resignation as minister of state in the Ministry of Transport and Works to the honourable prime minister".

Hibbert's statement added: "This resignation will allow me the time and freedom to clear my name and my integrity as former chief technical director in the Ministry of Transport and Works during the 1990s to which the allegations refer."

He did the right thing

Daryl Vaz, the minister with responsibility for information, told The Gleaner yesterday that Hibbert did "the right and principled thing" by resigning.

Meanwhile, Robert Pickersgill, opposition spokesman on transport and works, welcomed the resignation.

Pickersgill said he was not suggesting that Hibbert was involved in wrongdoing but argued that he should have stepped aside earlier to facilitate the investigation.

"The fact that he has waited until Mabey & Johnson pleaded guilty, we believe is an error of judgement," Pickersgill, who is also chairman of the Opposition People's National Party (PNP), said.

The Golding administration, which took power in September 2007 has already seen the resignations of two national security ministers - Derrick Smith and Colonel Trevor MacMillan. Prime Minister Bruce Golding also asked for and received Clive Mulling's resignation as energy minister.

Calls for Hibbert's resignation came from the PNP shortly after Britain's Serious Fraud Office visited Jamaica as part of its corruption investigation.

Then, Contractor General Greg Christie announced an investigation aimed at determining the precise role, if any, played by Hibbert and businessman Deryck A Gibson, in the facilitation, procurement, awarding, implementation, execution and/or variation of some contracts.

At the time of announcing the investigation, Hibbert's attorney, Ernest Smith, labelled the contractor general "irresponsible" and warned that his overly enthusiastic behaviour would cause him to "one day digest the venom of his own spleen".

It is alleged that individuals benefited improperly from association with the bridge-building company. As part of the fraud investigation, members of the Serious Fraud Office, accompanied by local law enforcement, raided the homes of Hibbert and Gibson.

Smith claims Hibbert has been a victim of crooks who used his name to defraud Mabey & Johnson and send the money to bank accounts in some far away land.

"As far as my client, Minister Joseph Hibbert, is concerned and based on what has been shown to me, Mr Hibbert has not breached nor is he a party to any act of corruption, directly or indirectly," Smith said in January.

Attempts to reach Hibbert and Smith yesterday proved futile.

daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com