Chuck has suggested that if there is a protracted and lingering dispute over what is commonly referred to in Jamaica as ‘dead lef’, then the real estate should be sold at the market value and the proceeds shared accordingly.

The justice minister argued that it was crucial that beneficiaries agree on a way forward, as “once properties remain undistributed, they tend to deteriorate and a significant amount of their value is lost as the resources are not readily available to maintain and improve them”.

He was speaking Tuesday in the House of Representatives as he made his contribution to the 2023/24 Sectoral Debate, during which he also disclosed that the AGD had more than $50 billion under its management as at March 2023. He said the department was facing increasing pressure to cope.

“That is, indeed, a heavy burden and my guidance, to the incoming administrator general, is to urge beneficiaries to settle their differences so that more estate files can be closed, in particular, to have most of these properties disposed of, primarily to the beneficiaries,” Chuck said.

Meanwhile, Chuck lauded the recently retired administrator general, Lona Brown, who was present in the chamber during his presentation, and whose legacy he said is an AGD that is both results-focused and customer-driven.

“We expect that this outstanding performance will continue,” Chuck said.

He noted that prior to 1996, an average of 50 Estate files were closed annually.

"During the 27 years (that Brown was in charge), the average number of files closed exceeded 200, and in the last five years this number has risen to over 500 annually. We have more files being closed than are being opened, which means a steady reduction of the backlog of cases,” Chuck added.

During her 27 years at the AGD, Brown saw the department transition to an executive agency, receive ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Standard from the National Certification Body of Jamaica, and was the recipient of several customer service awards.