Wed | May 13, 2026

Police used car saga still unresolved

Published:Tuesday | October 5, 2021 | 3:45 PM
O'Brien's was contracted to provide 200 used vehicles for the police, at a cost of $400 million, but failed to do so as set out in the contract - File photo.

At least 30 used cars or $100m in refunds are still due to the police, four years after a botched contractual arrangement between the Ministry of National Security and O' Brien's International Car Sales and Rentals. 

The company was contracted to supply 200 vehicles to the Jamaica Constabulary Force. 

Acting chairman of parliament's Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) Fitz Jackson earlier today slammed the Government for “allowing taxpayers' money to be squandered” when millions were paid to O'Brien's to acquire the vehicles but to date dozens remain outstanding.

The startling revelation came today from Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security Courtney Williams when representatives from the ministry appeared before the PAAC.

The committee is examining the First Supplementary Estimates of Expenditure that is now before the House of Representatives.

In January 2018, senior technocrats at the national security ministry told PAAC members that they had called in the solicitor general to handle the millions of dollars owed to the Government over what has been dubbed the used car scandal.

Breach

Today, Williams told lawmakers that the matter remained unresolved and he was having dialogue with the ministry's legal team.

“We are in discussion with our legal team as to what is the best approach to deal with this,” Williams said.

Jackson asked if any sanctions would be applied for the breach of contract between the Government and the company.

Williams said the ministry has communicated the breach of contract to O'Brien's during recent talks.

He said the ministry was seeking to recover sums owed to the Government instead of continuing to await the used cars from 2012, which would have little usefulness to the police force at this time.

Signalling that the time for talking was long past, Jackson said that from his recollection the ministry and O'Brien's had gone to meditation to settle the issue.

“The talking was over long ago,” said Jackson as he questioned if new talks had started on the matter.

He wanted to know when concrete action would be taken by the Government to recover millions in taxpayers' money.

However, Williams, who inherited the problem, insisted that he would have to carry out further dialogue and be briefed by his legal team.  

Williams refused to set a specific deadline for closure on the issue.

But Jackson noted that the significance of insisting on a resolution to the longstanding problem should not be lost on Williams who worked as a senior technocrat in the Ministry of Finance before taking up the post of permanent secretary in the Ministry of National Security.

“The significance of insisting on a resolution to this PS is that you have a hundred and odd million dollars of taxpayers' money tied up in those motor vehicles in which the taxpayer is not benefiting,” he said.

Former minister of national security Robert Montague had introduced the used car policy.

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