Motor Vehicle Accident Backlog Project Extended To February 2023

Attorney General, Marlene Malahoo Forte, says the Motor Vehicle Accident Backlog Project has been extended for a further period of two years, to February 2023.

Having successfully achieved most of the targets set in its first year of operation, the project was originally extended for another year up to February 2021.

“The extensions granted are to enable consolidation of the gains made in eliminating the backlog of accident matters, as well as other matters in the General Legal Advice Division, and to strengthen the existing framework in treating and dealing with matters on a timely basis,” Mrs. Malahoo Forte said, during her contribution to the 2021/22 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on April 28.

The Attorney General informed that despite the pandemic, a total of 306 new accident cases were placed before the project team, “and that is while an existing 287 older matters were reassigned to them”.

“There are approximately 1,200 continuing matters going back from 2014 to 2019… .  The majority of the files received relate to accidents involving the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF),” Mrs. Malahoo Forte said.

For the period under review (February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021), a total of 198 Instruction Files were returned mainly to the JCF after closure of the relevant matters.

In addition, between February 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021, the project team successfully negotiated and settled matters that saw payments being made by the Ministry of Justice amounting to $12,146,381.77.

“Several demand letters were sent to individuals and insurance companies related to compensation for damage done to government vehicles for which they are liable,” Mrs. Malahoo Forte stated.

“The sum of $88,000 was recovered during the reporting period. Insurance companies, however, have been dilatory in responding to the requests for compensation.  As a result, it has been proposed that litigation be pursued to recover compensation and, so far, we have a total of over $6.6 million to claim,” she added.

The Project is being staffed by seven attorneys-at-law and one secretary.