Govt maintains that JLP hired Manatt

The Government has broken its silence on the weekend's revelations about its links to influential American law firm, Manatt, Phelps and Phillips.

Its lengthy response to the Sunday Gleaner's report came Tuesday afternoon from Daryl Vaz, Information Minister a little over thirty six hours after copies of email correspondences confirmed that the Government of Jamaica retained Manatt, Phelps and Phillips to lobby the US Government in the extradition of former Tivoli don Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.

Mr. Vaz took serious issue with the Gleaner's extensive reporting on emails which exposed fresh details about the behind the scene negotiations between the law firm and the Bruce Golding administration.

The emails suggests Prime Minister Bruce Golding, Dorothy Lightbourne, Attorney General, Douglas Leys, Solicitor General and other high-ranking officials were fully aware that the law firm was acting on behalf of the Government on the Coke extradition matter.

The Gleaner erred – Vaz

According to Mr. Vaz, the Gleaner newspaper story on Sunday did not reveal anything of substance that has not been publicly stated previously by the Prime Minister.  

The Information Minister reiterated the position of the Government that the administration did not engage in any contract with Manatt.

He contends that Prime Minister Bruce Golding gave the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) explicit approval to engage with the US law firm and made it clear that this was not an engagement with the Government.

In making specific reference to an email written by attorney-at-law Harold Brady in which mention is made to “Briefing the Prime Minister”, Mr. Vaz said it was erroneous for the Gleaner to have relied on this email as proof of an official Government of Jamaica engagement.

“Not a new issue”

The Information Minister once more laid the responsibility at the feet of Mr. Brady, noting that this email was written by the attorney and not by the Solicitor General.  

He said there was nothing in the Gleaner’s story or any of the emails that has challenged this position and the existence and content of the email dated September 19, 2009 is not a new issue.

He further argued that the Prime Minister in a statement to Parliament on May 11, 2010, acknowledged that Mr. Brady had contacted the Solicitor General to discuss issues relating to the extradition request.

These discussions included e-mail correspondence sent to Mr. Brady, at an e-mail address provided by him, which it was subsequently discovered, is an address belonging to Manatt, Phelps and Phillips.

Manatt affair was a mistake – Vaz

Mr. Vaz said the correspondence related to issues concerning the Coke extradition request which the GOJ had raised with the US Government, quoting from the Prime Minister's May 2010 speech.

The Information Minister added that this statement is also supported by the Solicitor General’s letter to the Gleaner of August 18 where Mr. Leys stated that he was unaware that he was sending the information to a Mannatt email address at the time he sent this email to Mr. Brady.

Mr. Vaz also insisted that the emails regarding a press release drafted by Manatt, Phelps and Phillips in December 28, 2009 onwards is also not a new issue.

He again repeated the Prime Minister’s previous statements acknowledging that the “Manatt affair” was a mistake, and bemoaning the negative effects that have resulted.