Jamaicans urged to make wills

Pointing to a staggering amount of 'dead left' assets tied up at the Administrator General's Department (AGD), Justice Minister Delroy Chuck has yet again called on Jamaicans to take financial responsibility by preparing wills.

Addressing a justices of the peace sensitisation session at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort in St Ann last Wednesday, Chuck revealed that the AGD is now managing more than $50 billion in property that legally belongs to beneficiaries but remains locked in the system because of the absence of wills.

In addition to those assets, another $5 billion in cash is sitting idle in banks, awaiting distribution to rightful heirs.

"These unclaimed assets remain tied up, simply because testators fail to plan for their future," he said.

"I make this point to encourage you (Jamaicans), when you're in your private conversations with your children, your family, your neighbours and everyone, just make a will and keep it [safely]," Chuck urged.

The justice minister stressed that the financial fallout of dying without a will is more than a bureaucratic problem -- it often tears families apart. He warned that conflicts over "dead left" properties frequently result in family feuds and, in extreme cases, bloodshed.

"It is a sad state of affairs, [and] all of this is so totally unnecessary. That is why, Justices of the Peace, I am depending on you to see how you can help in ameliorating some of the challenges that the country faces," Chuck said.