Probe continues into Jamaica Tourist Board mismanagement allegation
By Felicia Persaud
Allegations of mismanagement and fraud at Jamaica's New York Tourist
Board last summer shocked the community and the Jamaican government
and set in place a whirlwind of job shakeups and changes as well
as an in-depth investigation into the reasons for the alleged
actions.
Now those reasons may soon be revealed when the probe by noted Criminal attorney Mr. Frank Phipps concludes in the coming weeks. The Jamaica Observer this week reported that the Phipps probe is drawing to a close and the Patterson administration, the Tourism Ministry and the JTB could soon receive recommendations on how to deal with the accused perpetrators in the future.
Mr. Phipps was hired by the JTB this January to investigate whether the agency should prosecute or seek other ways to recover money allegedly misused by staff.
This followed a review last by auditor-general Mr. Adrian Strachan of a report that was done by the JTB's internal auditor, Mr. Colin Greenland.
Minister of Tourism at the time, Ms. Portia Simpson Miller, ordered the audit last August after an anonymous e-mail began to circulate, accusing senior JTB New York staff of fraud, influence peddling, bad management and misappropriating government resources.
Mr. Noel Mignott, the then deputy director of tourism for the JTB in New York operations resigned last September, as the scandal hit. Mignott had served at the agency for over two decades.
Ms. Yvonne Sawyers, the accountant/manager, also resigned closely on the heels of Mr. Mignott. The shake-up continued with the firing of the Board's advertising relations manager, Ms. Marie Deeble-Walker. Ms. Deeble-Walker is suing the board for US$20 million, claiming she was dismissed without cause and that her reputation has been damaged. Her case will be heard on 1 May in New York.
The Board recently appointed Mr. Paul Pennicooke as its new Director of Tourism.