“Absolutely Rubbish!” Vaz Fires Back at Buju Banton’s Relief Theft Claims  

The Minister of Energy, Transport and communications of Jamaica, Daryl Vaz has strongly condemned the accusation made by reggae star Buju Banton that hurricane relief supplies were stolen at the Kingston airport.

The ministry publicly addressed this concern which garnered a lot of traction following the remarks made by Banton on an Instagram live session. According to Vaz, he immediately initiated an internal investigation after learning about the allegations. This included a review of airport procedures and checking the CCTV footage to verify if there were any irregularities or illegal transportation.

Vaz further stated that all the donated items were properly processed, checked and delivered intact to their designated organizations. He further added that the goods were later also transported to a warehouse in Spanish Town, which Vaz said is completely out of government’s control.

“The relief supplies were cleared and handed over with no discrepancies,” Vaz said. “What we don’t want is mischief and nonsense, and that is what was posted last night, and I say that without fear or contradiction.”

The minister’s response comes after rising public concern surrounding the relief operations after passage of Hurricane Melissa. He also urged public figures to exercise caution while making statements that could harm public trust.

Notably, Banton made these remarks over an Instagram live and his words have been going viral across Jamaica as people cited concern that their donations are heading into wrong hands. He claimed that the goods received had theirs seals broken.

He added that he doesn’t want to “create mischief nor make up stories” accusing the minister of making the incident political. He also stressed on the importance of the relief efforts while stating that this is about Jamaica and not about PNP or JLP.

"The common thread continues to be a lack of accountability and trying to shame and blame the person who speaks out," he added.

He ended his statement by stating that he is disappointed by Vaz’s response but not surprised.