THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL and Minister of Justice, Senator A.J. Nicholson, Q.C. yesterday responded to various claims made by Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) in respect of the Michael Gayle Case.JFJ has taken the Michael Gayle case to the Inter-American Com-mission on Human Rights (IACHR) for adversarial proceedings against the Government.
Mr. Nicholson said he was "personally surprised" that JFJ has sought to use the Michael Gayle case as an opportunity for publicity.
He noted: "Frankly, I am personally surprised that Jamaicans for Justice would seek to use press releases, press conferences and other means to ventilate issues that are now subject to both quasi-judicial consideration and settlement negotiations. Of course, they may believe that this is their prerogative. One may wonder, however, whether it is the best way to secure the interests of Michael Gayle's estate and his loved ones."
Senator Nicholson also emphasised that the Jamaican Government had already accepted liability for the unfortunate death of Michael Gayle, and that it was prepared to continue negotiations with the representatives of Michael Gayle's family to reach a friendly settlement. The senator added, however, that he does not believe that the effort by Jamaicans for Justice to pursue adversarial proceedings against the Government at the Inter-American Commission is consistent with the friendly settlement procedure that the Government wishes to continue.
The Minister added: "The pursuit of dual approaches, that is, friendly settlement and adversarial proceedings, by Jamaicans for Justice, is contrary to the spirit of friendly settlement negotiations. We are willing to cooperate, and I hope they are too."
