THE one-day trip to Cuba last Thursday that ended in a swirl of controversy involving former prime minister P J Patterson was a proactive attempt by telecoms giant Digicel to secure a phone service carrier contract between Jamaica and Cuba, the Sunday Observer has learnt.

At the same time, the storm triggered by media reports that local authorities had reason to search the aircraft chartered for the trip has left the public wondering what information the authorities had and the credibility of the intelligence they received.