Judge to rule next week whether cases against UC Rusal will be joined
Published:Tuesday | July 15, 2025 | 4:38 PM
A judge in the St Catherine Parish Court will decide next week if an application by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to join two environmental breach cases against bauxite company UC Rusal will be granted.
The application for the joinder relates to matters in which UC Rusal has been charged under section 11 of the Wild Life Protection Act. The alleged breaches occurred on August 1, 2021 and July 26, 2022, when trade effluent from the bauxite company reportedly contaminated a waterway.
The ODPP wants both matters to be prosecuted as one.
When the case was mentioned on Tuesday, Acting Senior Parish Court Judge Janelle Nelson-Gayle said she would peruse the application and give her ruling on July 22.
King's Counsel Jacqueline Samuels-Brown, who appeared on behalf of UC Rusal, opposed the application, saying there was no grounds for the cases to be joined.
Attorney-at-law Rasheed Lee, from the ODPP, is representing the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) in the matter.
- Rasbert Turner
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