Media Reports of Surcharges Issued

Officers of the Revenue Protection Department (RPD), with assistance from the MajorOrganised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA), last week, arrested and charged Rhemalee Wint-Lewis, Tax Auditor of the Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) for breaches of the Corruption Prevention Act.

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke has announced that it is no longer necessary for the Government of Jamaica to provide support for the salaries of SSL staff members; an insurance claim made by the Temporary Manager of SSL in April of this year, to SSL’s insurers in England, has now been settled. SSL received the insurance payout of US$1 million on Thursday, September 7th, enabling SSL to settle the remainder of their August staff salary bill last week Monday, September 11.

Standard and Poor’s Global Ratings, today, September 13, 2023, upgraded the Government of Jamaica’s Long-Term Foreign and Local Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) from ‘B+’ to ‘BB-’ with a stable
outlook.

The Financial Investigations Division (“FID”), is using the proceeds of assets confiscated under Jamaica’s proceeds of crime legislation to fund the extraordinary expenses it incurs in the SSL fraud investigation. These funds do not constitute tax revenue. These funds arise from the FID’s work in identifying, restraining, forfeiting and monetising the proceeds of crime. That is, these funds arise from the confiscation of ill-gotten gains.