Tyrone Reid, Sunday Gleaner Reporter

OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS obtained under the Access to Information Act have revealed that the directors of the Trade Board and the trade administrator were sacked because they approved the importation of hundreds of overage vehicles.

In a one-month period, more than 400 of those licences were approved.

The approvals showed an apparent disregard for a government restriction, imposed in 2004, on imported motor vehicles that are more than three years old.

And, there is nothing the Government can do about what is a clear breach of policy. "I am not sure it is actionable … the licence is a legal instrument," said Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Karl Samuda.

Approvals given

The data from the official documents disclosed that between February 26 and March 26, 344 approvals were stamped on applications seeking permission to import overage motor vehicles.

Less than a handful of the waivers were granted to private individuals, as 340 of them were approved for used-car dealers. Two prominent Corporate Area dealerships accounted for the bulk of the waivers.

Should not have happened

Samuda said this should never have happened. "Only compelling and absolutely necessary (reasons) would warrant waivers," the minister explained. Used-car dealers, he said, were not in that category.

"I never expected to get a request from a used-car dealer that was approved, because I have no intention of granting any. So for the time being, all such requests have to be approved by me."

Samuda told The Sunday Gleaner that he had made it clear that waivers on overage vehicles should be granted in a limited way and any decision to grant them should be reported to him immediately. "That did not come. When I asked for a report and received it, the course of action was clear," he said.

In early April this year, a release from the ministry announced that Samuda had asked for the resignations of the directors of the Trade Board. The release stated that Samuda had requested the immediate resignation of the Trade Board directors and the trade administrator while the assistant trade administrator was sent on leave.

Requested resignations

The minister asked for the resignations the same day he met with the chairman, trade administrator and other officers of the ministry to discuss matters relating to the importation of motor vehicles, as well as the board's granting of motor-vehicle licences outside of ministry policy.

At that time, Samuda said his examination of several reports relating to the importation and licensing of motor vehicles had found that the Trade Board had abused its delegated authority.

However, Edwin McKie, then chairman of the Trade Board, insists that he was not fired. "And, if you doubt that, maybe you could check with the minister," he said.

McKie was unwilling to comment on the circumstances that led to the reported dismissals for breaches that occurred under his watch. "It's more than two months now, and I am not prepared to say anything."

Justifiable punishment

Still, an unrepentant Samuda insisted that sacking the directors and the administrator was the only justifiable punishment for the breaches over which they presided.

In the same breath, the minister said some members of the previous board would be reappointed.

Information gleaned from the documents showed that, in total, more than 400 waivers were granted during the period. Among them were several "special-purpose applications submitted to the motor vehicle imports committee".

Samuda explained that discretion or the right to grant the waivers on overage vehicles rested with him - the minister - but that authority had been delegated to the chairman of the Trade Board.

He said the trade administrator was fired because he was responsible for reporting the matter and he had not done so.

"Based on what I was able to discern from the literature given to me, I am satisfied that there was an abuse of the authority vested in the chairman and, as such, I had to act."

tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com