Thomas

A LEGAL battle is looming between the Attorney General's Department and former executive director of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica, Dr Omer Thomas, as the Government moves to recover an $8-million compensation package paid to him when he left the organisation in 2006.

Parliament's Public Accounts Committee was informed Tuesday that Thomas was suing the agency for sums owed to him. However, the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, through the Attorney General's Department, is also preparing to pull back millions it said were paid to Thomas, in breach of established government guidelines.

Thomas, who is also the Jamaica Labour Party caretaker for East St Thomas, told The Gleaner Tuesday the Government was merely responding to his suit. He said last week that he filed the suit in court to recover some $20 million owed to him.

"The matter is in court. I have sued them for my money," said Thomas. "I have ample evidence that they owe me this money."

Suit filed

Reginald Budhan, permanent secretary in the commerce ministry, told committee members that Thomas had filed the suit against the bureau in the Supreme Court.

"The ministry has written to the attorney general's office, seeking guidance on how to proceed," Budhan said.

Eyebrows were raised during the committee meeting when members were told that the former permanent secretary in the ministry, Dr Jean Dixon, had raised strong objection to the payment of the sum to Thomas.

According to Budhan, the then permanent secretary had advised against a decision by the Standards Council of the bureau to pay Thomas $8,743,030 in compensation. However, he said, her advice was overruled by the council.

Strongly disagreed

The committee was told that Dixon, who was a member of the council, had disagreed strongly with the payment, noting that it did not conform with the former executive's contract.

Committee member Dr Morais Guy requested that the committee continue its deliberations on the matter at its next sitting, as the details of the compensation package and the contractual arrangements with the former executive were not known.

Chairman of the committee, Dr Omar Davies, agreed, saying the members would be provided with the necessary information.