Last week, we told you about the former public officer who had become ill while working at the Income Tax Department. She had asked to be moved several times but was ignored, and her medical bills in Mérida began adding up. She sued the Government and won her case, but 17 months later, she has not received her payment.
Today Public Service Minister Usher clarified that the incident occurred during the UDP's administration, and while he can't explain why the payment has taken so long, he reassured her that she will be paid:
Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service
"A case that was taken to the High Court and she got the judgment in her favor. But Channel 7 said, and I want to be clear, that she wrote the Ministry of Public Service numerous times and did not get any answer. To be clear, those letters and the medical boards were done in a previous administration, because it made it sound like it was happening recently. The case happened recently, but those medical boards and those correspondences were done, I believe, in 2017 and 2018. I just wanted that clarity, in case people are wondering if it's something that was happening currently. In terms of the judgment has been passed, the Government has accepted the decision of the court, and we're working on a payment schedule so that she can get the payments that she is entitled to."
Courtney Menzies:
"Why did it take 17 months? And why has nobody contacted her?"
Henry Charles Usher:
"No, I think the judgment happened in 2025, if I'm not mistaken. So this is something that we need to see why the, putting the judgment into effect, enforcing the judgment might have taken longer, but it's something that we intend to satisfy very soon."
The Attorney General also told us today, quote, "The Government has been in communication with attorneys for the public officer with a proposal for payment. On behalf of the Government, I extend sincere apologies to the public officer for the delayed resolution to this matter." End quote.
