G2K demands PNP's Omar Newell retract comments about DPP
Generation 2000 (G2K), the young professional affiliate of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party, is demanding Omar Newell, a People's National Party (PNP) representative, retract "reckless" statements concerning Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn.
"Newell's comment, made on his social media page, is deeply concerning and undermines the integrity of the office of the DPP," the group alleged in a statement Friday. "Generation 2000 calls on Newell to retract his defamatory comments immediately."
Newell, a businessman, made the comments Friday on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.
"We can now see why DPP went after Isat," he said, in an apparent reference to attorney Isat Buchanan, who was the subject of a complaint by the DPP to the General Legal Council.
Buchanan also represents entertainer Vybz Kartel, one of four men whose murder convictions were overturned by the Privy Council on Thursday. The Jamaican Court of Appeal is to decide whether there should be a retrial.
"G2K is deeply concerned about the implications of Newell's comments, especially considering the high-profile nature of the case involving the office of the DPP a day after the Privy Council announced its ruling. Reckless remarks like these not only cast doubt on the professionalism and impartiality of the DPP but also pose safety risks to the staff of that office," the group said.
It said as a political candidate, Newell "must recognize the gravity of his words" and a refusal to retract would raise "serious questions about the type of representation he would bring if elected".
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