Contractor General says he will not apologise to YP Seaton

Greg Christie, the Contractor-General, says he has no intention of  apologising to the firm YP Seaton and Associates which found itself  at the centre of attention a week ago after questions were raised about the Prime Minister's vacation trip to Paraguay.

Mr. Christie told RJR News that there is no need for him to apologize as he did not make any allegations against the firm.

The Contractor General was responding to a statement on the weekend from YP Seaton and Associates for the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) to apologize for statements it made concerning the company.

The OCG had responded to a call by the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) to investigate the financial relationship between the firm and the Prime Minister.

In response to the call, Mr. Christie said if it can be proven that Mr. Golding received a gift from the company the matter should be turned over to the Director of Public Prosecutions or the police.

This has angered the firm's main director York Page Seaton.

He says the OCG's statement which contained hearsay, opinions and conjectures have impugned and tarnished the reputation of the company and himself.   

But speaking with RJR News, Mr. Christie said it appears that Mr. Seaton either did not read his statement or misunderstood it.

He said the release which was sent to the media did not contain any allegations against the company or Mr. Seaton.

As a result, the Contractor General firmly said no apology will be forthcoming.

In his statement, Mr. Seaton explained that he and the Prime Minister along with other friends have been making bird shooting trips for more than 20 years and all participants pay their own way.

The statement said while Mr. Seaton coordinated the trip, Mr. Golding paid $730,000 for himself and his son Stephen.

It also said the company has successfully won competitive tenders to provide services to the Government and some of its agencies over the last 30 years spanning both PNP and the Jamaica Labour Party administrations.

It added that the National Contracts Commission has scrutinised and endorsed all contracts the company received.