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| Court inefficiences cost gov't dearly |
| By jamaicaobserver.com |
| Published: 08/08/2011 |
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THE Government's coffers have been denied at least $46 million in revenue, as a result of inefficiencies in the island's court offices, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament was told last Wednesday. The losses resulted from mismanagement of the finances of at least three of the island's courts offices, according to an Auditor General's (AG's) report on the Ministry of Justice. Following audits of only three court offices — Mandeville, St Catherine and St Thomas — the AG's department found some 814 warrants languishing on the books, amounting to $27.7 million. These should have been served on persons who violated their bail bonds. The AG's report also uncovered some 592 cases of outstanding fines and commitments amounting to $17.5 million. No commitment register was kept at the St Catherine court office, the AG's department said. Chairman of the PAC, Dr Peter Phillips, expressed outrage at the inefficiencies and described the situation as "untenable". "It means the courts are offering bail, people are absconding, and nothing is happening, which would, apart from the loss of money, mean that the justice ministry is being treated as a joke by the people who commit themselves," he said. Read More. |
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