Jamaica’s Richard Azan Resigns Following Report By Contractor General

Above: Parliament

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Richard Azan, Jamaican Minister of State in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing announced his resignation from the Cabinet on Friday.

Azan’s move came after a report by the Contractor General earlier this week that alleged improprieties by Azan in the award of a government contract to rebuild shops at the Spalding Market in Clarendon.

The Contractor General had referred Azan for prosecution.

Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller said in a statement Friday evening that she had received and accepted Azan’s resignation.

“I wish to place on record our thanks to him for his hard work and commitment to improving the lives of the people during his tenure,” Simpson Miller said.
Azan is the Member of Parliament for the Northwest Clarendon constituency.

In his resignation letter, Azan said he had “received no money, favours or personal benefit, financial or otherwise” in the award of the contract.

He said his legal team had reviewed the report and that the Contractor General’s conclusions were “not supported by the facts” and recommended that the report be challenge.