Angry bus operators who were aligned to the now defunct National Transport Co-operative Society, NTCS, this morning protested outside the law offices of Bailey-Terrelonge-Allen, demanding the payment of monies owed to them.
The NTCS was awarded billions of dollars after successfully winning a lawsuit it brought against the government for breach of contract.
A spokesman for the NTCS, Godfrey James says they are aware that the government has made two of its payments to the lawyers representing the operators.
However, he says only a small percentage of one payment has been made to some operators
The Government and the NTCS have been in the courts for more than a decade, following a decision to end the sub-franchise agreement between the bus company and the state-owned Jamaica Urban Transit Company.
The case has also been to the Privy Council which made a determination in 2009 as to how payment should be calculated.
The NTCS had sued the Government to recover losses.
In 2011 the Court of Appeal ruled that the Government should pay 1-point-8 billion dollars plus interest of three per cent to the NTCS.
The attorneys who represented the late Ezroy Millwood who was the Chief Executive Officer of the NTCS, were Patrick Bailey and Lord Anthony Gifford
This morning the angry bus operators protested outside the law offices of Patrick Bailey, saying he had failed to pay the monies to them.
The Transport Ministry says it has been meeting its payment schedule and has delivered the money to the NTCS as agreed.
Mr. James says he’s concerned about the manner in which Mr. Bailey has been conducting the affairs of the bus operators.
When we spoke to Lord Anthony Gifford on the weekend he also confirmed that the government has been making its payments.
Our news team sought to get a response from Mr. Bailey but his phone rang without an answer.
