Former Trafigura boss visited Simpson Miller for hugs and kisses – Paulwell
Published:Tuesday | March 8, 2022 | 3:03 PM
A courtesy call with then Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller was the primary reason former Trafigura Beheer boss Claude Daughpin flew to Jamaica for a one-day visit, former Cabinet minister Phillip Paulwell has testified.
The meeting was held at either Jamaica House or Vale Royal on August 23, 2006, and lasted "six to seven" minutes, according to Paulwell.
He was answering questions posed by investigators in the Netherlands through local authorities as the Trafigura hearings continued today in the Supreme Court.
Records from the Passport Citizenship and Immigration Agency show that Daughpin visited Jamaica from August 23 to 24, 2006, deputy director of public prosecutions Andrea Martin Swaby disclosed in court.
Trafigura wired three payments of just over $10 million each to CCOC Association on September 6 and 12, 2006.
Authorities in the Netherlands are investigating whether this payment broke any laws there.
Paulwell said the main purpose of Dauphin's visit was to meet Simpson Miller to get hugs, "a mandatory kiss" and an autograph to take back to his daughter.
"The CEO of Trafigura had a desire to meet and greet the first female prime minister of Jamaica who was, at the time, the most popular leader in Jamaica ever and regarded by Forbes magazine as one of the most powerful women in the world," the lawmaker said.
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