A government ministry in Jamaica has spoken out in support of the tax authority there arising from the continuing controversy on the Caribbean island over a raid on Denis O’Brien’s Digicel premises in Kingston last week.

Armed police and officials from Tax Authority Jamaica (TAJ) raided Digicel’s offices in New Kingston on Friday in a bid to obtain records that it had been seeking from the telecoms company for months.

The Ministry of Finance and Planning said TAJ acted only after all other reasonable means of getting the required information had been exhausted.

Digicel has accused TAJ of incompetence, and said the raid had done it reputational damage.