Weekly Gleaner, The; North American ed.

Brady Refuses to Testify in Manatt-Dudus Enquiry

Even as [Hugh Small] spoke, [Harold Brady]'s attorney, Georgia Gibson Henlin, reiterated her client's intention not to give testimony and charged that the intervention of the prime minister's lawyer was highly irregular. [Garth McBean] also refuted arguments advanced by Brady's attorney in relation to subjudice rule which could be activated by the lawyer-client privilege. In respect of Brady's claim that lawyer-client privilege could be undermined, McBean said there was no supporting document...

'Leave Babsy Alone'

Several youth leaders, during a Gleaner Editors' Forum at the newspaper's North Street, central Kingston offices, had called for the reassignment of Youth Minister Ohvia 'Babsy' Grange's portfolio to the education ministry. "Mr Ryan Small, the newly elected chairman of the National Youth Council, remarks that the portfolio is not being managed properly." I find this unfortunate" [Warren Newby] said. "As chairman, he held his first meeting on Saturday, January 14, 2011, and is yet to meet with...

Sandals Whitehouse Sale Needs Fresh Start - Ocg

CITING SERIOUS irregularities and impropriety in the proposed deal, the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) last week strongly recommended that Prime Minister Bruce Golding halt the sale of Sandals WhitehouBB Hotel to Gordon 'Butch' Stewart's Gorstew Limited. The OCG's recommendations come on the heels of the completion of its evaluation of documentation regarding the proposed sale, which was submitted to it on January 7 by the Cabinet secretary, as well as its evaluation of the statement ...

Former Manufacturer's Head Tackles Gov't On New Tax Proposal

"He informed us yesterday that the Government and the powers that be are looking at putting duty on raw material for capital goods," [Doreen Frankson] said during the forum held at the newspaper's North Street, central Kingston, offices. "Let me say it now that if it happens, this country is going to shut down because we ain't having it." "Veiled threats don't intimidate anybody. They serve only as a source of disunity and create nothing but confusion in the minds of those conscientious produ...

'Most Wanted' Snared

Christopher Linton, the man who Jamaica's police had at the top of their most wanted" list and accused of being a vicious killer, was captured on January 24 in the Kingston surburb of Elletson Flats, apparently simpering, having earlier telephoned reporters to express fear for his life. [Leah Tavares-Pinson] was also the lawyer for Christopher "Dudus" Coke, the alleged racketeer and drug smuggler, whose attempted capture led to last May's fighting between the security forces and militias in t...

Shahine Says No to Legal Bill

THERE WERE objections on Monday, January 24, by the legal team representing Member of Parliament Shahine Robinson, to the bill of J$17.9 million submitted as legal costs by the lawyers representing elector Manley Bowen. Bowen s lawyers, Abe Dabdoub and Raymond Clough, have presented documents to justify the bill submitted, but attorneyatlaw Nesta Claire Smith, one of the lawyers representing Robinson, is objecting to the hefty bill.

Consumers to Pay More for Meat, Dairy

"This is going to create an opportunity for small farmers in Jamaica who can produce broiler meat efficiently with much lower overheads, who can now supply consumers in their neighbourhood at a cheaper price. Local farmers can benefit from it," he stated. Meanwhile, president of the Jamaica Egg Farmers' Association, Mark Campbell, said his industry has been receiving the news of feed product increases with 'great trepidation'. Citing a drastic decrease in beef and cattle farming, coming from ...

Gov't Minister Draws First Blood in Court

LAWYERS REPRESENTING government minister James Robertson scored a victory in the first round of their legal battle with United States-based attorney David Rowe and his client, St Thomas businessman Ian Johnson. That suit was filed in the civil division of the Circuit Court of the Seventh Division Judicial Circuit in and for Broward County in Florida sought compensation for Johnson for 'assault and battery' by Robertson. Robertson's attorneys have described the sensational allegations by Johns...

Tearful Roger Clarke Walks Free

The former agriculture minister's charge arose from the August 23, 2010, incident in which Nicholson was killed after his motorbike collided with a Toyota Prado sport utility vehicle driven by Clarke.During the inquiry, a representative of the Island Traffic Authority, Durrant Bennett, had testified that the motorcycle had some defects.The Crown had led evidence that about 2-30 p.m. on the day in question, [Roger Clarke] caused Nicholson's death along the Old Harbour Road main road. "When mi ...

Manchester Cabbie Gets Help Managing $5m Winnings

Representatives from Digicel and financial group Jamaica Money Market Brokers journeyed to Kendal Square to present an elated Othneil Hyman with his cheque and advice to ensure he remains a millionaire for years to come.

Gol Negotiating Jamalco Sale with Glencore

Jamaica began negotiating the sale of its 45 per cent stake of Jamalco with Hong Fan last year, with [Bruce Golding] announcing in his budget speech that a deal was close, but would be subject to Alcoa's approval. Sources said last week that as the discussions advanced, concerns began to emerge within the industry on whether Hong Fan, chiefly a trading company that specialises in the production and sale of metallic elements, had sufficient background experience in the tough bauxite-alumina bu...

More Protection for Savers in Deposit Insurance Law

The law previously stipulated one payment to the maximum of J$600,000 on trust accounts, but with the amendments approved by the House of Representatives, JDIC can now compensate each beneficiary of the trust, subject to the J$600,000 cap per individual. The amendment also applies to nominee and other accounts in similar categories. "Now we can recognise each beneficiary, rather than just the trustee," said [Antoinette McKain], chief executive officer of JDIC, after the passage of the legisla...

Cal Expects Air Jamaica Payback in Three Years

'When we just came in, the decision at that time was to do away with Air Jamaica and go with CAL, but we spent some time on that, and realised that it is not working," said [GEORGE NICHOLAS III], the chairman of CAL. "Our prime minister came here in July and, on her return, said that Air Jamaica can stand on its own," said Nicholas, who noted that Jamaican travellers had also begun to pull support from Air Jamaica under CALs control. In addition to its claw-back to flying the Air Jamaica-bran...

Ja Negotiating J$6.5b Tax-Reform Loan

Minister of Finance Audley Shaw said the new system would be built with "impressive forensic data-mining capabilities and the capacity to merge all databases'* and would link all depart' ments that deal with taxes. "This is important because it will help us to achieve the objectives of broadening the tax base and consequently, lowering taxes," Shaw said Wednesday, January 19, as keynote speaker at the monthly Mayberry Investors Forum in Kingston.

No More Calabash

"We are going to continue with our writers' workshops and seminars for writers. We are going to have a big event for Jamaica's 50th anniversary celebration and it will be a literary event and we are discussing the ways in which we can do that," [Kwame Dawes] said. "It has been 10 very good, very challenging years," Dawes said, adding that when Calabash International Literary Festival was started, "we did not know if it would work. We had 300-400 people and we knew there was an audience". He s...

Beenie Man Resting After Hip Surgery

DANCEHALL ARTISTE Beenie Man is now recovering after being diagnosed with a hip condition which required him to undergo corrective surgery to fix the problem. As a result of the surgery, Beenie Man might be missing from the music scene for a short period in order to facilitate the recovery process. Prior to doing the operation, Beenie Man, in an interview with a radio station, said: "I want to tell all my fans and mek them know that I'm gonna be off the market for like six weeks because I hav...

Us to Offer Amnesty for Caribbean Offshore Accounts

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) spokesman Frank Keith said that the programme would be formally announced "very shortly" and would not offer terms as generous as those put forth in a similar initiative last year. "The government wants to encourage people not to lie on their upcoming returns," said Robert Katzberg, a criminal defense lawyer in New York with offshore bank clients in the Caribbean and Switzerland. Some taxpayers disclosed their smaller accounts at UBS, the Swiss giant that was at...

Health Ministry Launches Non-Smoking Campaign

"Nicotine is not a lifestyle choice it is, in fact, an addiction. Here's a chance to quit smoking and even win a car while you're at it," said Minister [Margarett Best], who has invested millions in programs to inspire Ontarians to lead healthy, active lives. "Since 2006, The Driven to Quit Challenge has inspired more than 130,000 quit attempts," said Martin Kabat, CEO Canadian Cancer Society, Ontario Division. It was exactly three years ago [Steven Morgado]'s older brother underwent surgery ...

New 30mw Power Plant Set Up

It was built by E-Power, a consortium which is majority-owned by a group of local investors led by Haitian businessman Daniel Rouzier. It also includes Korea East-West Power Company Limited.

Country Looks to Trinidad to Help Develop Its Oilfields

President Bharrat Jagdeo said Guyana will be seeking as much advice as possible, particularly in the area of development and monitoring of the oil and gas industry, and will be turning to Trinidad and Tobago, its 'closest neighbour in the Caribbean community, which...