The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

LABOUR Minister Shane Gibson said yesterday he was still awaiting word from the Comptroller of Customs on whether the Department could use the former City Markets head office, adding that he was not sure its acquisition by the National Insurance Board (NIB) would be necessary.

“I have not gotten a report back from National Insurance as yet because we are still waiting on the Comptroller to make a decision as to whether or not they can actually use that warehouse space,” Mr Gibson said.

“The difficulty may be that now that they have all of that bonded warehouse space off Gladstone Road for the new port, I’m not sure it would be necessary. That’s my position but I’m still waiting on the Comptroller to give his position. The building that was initially stated to have been the Customs bonded warehouse on John F Kennedy Drive, we are now looking at that possibly being used for some other purpose. We have an interest but it really depends on what happens at the end of the day in terms of the interest shown by the Comptroller of Customs.”

The former City Markets head office and warehouse facility is owned by the now-defunct supermarket chain’s pension fund. Mr Gibson had confirmed previously that NIB had been looking to acquire it to “assist” with the fund’s liquidation. He denied, though, that the deal was proposed to solely ‘bail out’ the City Markets employee pension fund and the supermarket chain’s owners, the Finlayson family, who are major political supporters of the current government.

Mr Gibson had also noted that NIB was seeking to get the former City Markets headquarters building appraised by a real estate firm, so it could determine its true worth and then seek to reach an agreement with the pension fund’s trustees.