News in brief

Gorstew challenges contractor general's powers

The Judicial Review Court began hearing legal arguments yesterday in the motion brought by Gorstew Ltd and hotelier Gordon 'Butch' Stewart asking the court for an interpretation of the powers of the contractor general.

The claimants are challenging the powers of the contractor general to investigate the circumstances which led to the Government's sale of the Sandals Whitehouse hotel to Gorstew Limited in early 2011.

Yesterday, Queen's Counsel Hugh Small, who is representing the claimants, submitted that the rule of law did not permit the contractor general - as he had done in the instant case - to enlarge his jurisdiction to enquire into matters that Parliament had made provisions for in the Corruption Prevention Act.

Regional officials in island for study tour

Government officials from Guyana and Dominica, as well as representatives from the UNDP Regional Office for Barbados and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, together with the Volunteer Centre of Trinidad and Tobago, are currently in Kingston to attend a four-day Caribbean Regional Volunteerism Study Tour, which opened yesterday.

The tour, which will end Friday, is being hosted by CUSO International in collaboration with the Jamaica National Building Society Foundation and the Council for Voluntary Social Services/National Volunteer Centre.

The participants will have meetings with CUSO partner agencies and collaborators to discuss models and strategies for volunteer engagement. A workshop will also be held among volunteer-involving agencies to facilitate the sharing of information on ways to involve youth in volunteerism, engage the diaspora, and look at best practices such as using an action-learning model for civil-society cooperation.

Kern trial delays annoy judge

A seemingly annoyed Senior Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey yesterday promised stricter handling of the corruption trial of former junior Energy Minister Kern Spencer.

"I have been allowing and allowing … . Now I am going to insist [that the trial moves along] … ," said Pusey after the nearly five-year-old case again failed to restart in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court.

The trial was adjourned in September and since then, it has failed to resume on five occasions.

"I am tired of this case being put off … . My cup has overflowed," the magistrate declared.

Yesterday's adjournment came after Spencer's attorney, Deborah Martin, indicated that she was still engaged in a case before the Supreme Court.

"Everybody is going to have to start making themselves available," Pusey insisted.

Spencer and his former personal assistant, Colleen Wright, are on trial for money laundering and illicit enrichment arising from the implementation of the Cuban light-bulb programme.