THE MONTHLY GLEANER | AUGUST 3 - SEPTEMBER 2, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS 3 Barbara Gayle/Gleaner Writer A MAJOR victory was scored by the Government when the Full Court ruled that the threeyear extension granted to Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn in 2020 was lawful. DOUBLE-MURDER CONVICT Mervin Cameron had challenged the extension on the basis that it was illegal because the authorities failed to follow the proper procedure provided for an extension to be granted to the DPP under the Constitution and the Interpretation Act, thereby rendering the appointment null and void. The court said “the fact that the extension would have taken effect on either the day of the DPP’s birthday or the day after was of no moment”. The court found that the agreement to extend the tenure of the DPP had been concluded before she reached the age of 60 and there was no breach of the Constitution. The attorney general was the respondent and no order was made as to costs. Cameron stated in his affidavit that his attorney-at-law, Hugh Wildman, conducted investigations and it was revealed that Llewellyn’s appointment had violated the laws. The court refused to grant the declarations that Cameron was seeking that the extension was null and void and that the purported appointment granted to her after she had reached age 60 was in breach of section 96 (1) (b) of the Constitution of Jamaica. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS In delivering the unanimous decision, the judges said there were three issues to be decided: Did the DPP apply to the proper entity for an extension of her tenure in office, when was the extension granted and whether the extension was in keeping with section 96(1) (b) of the Constitution. Wildman had argued that the Gazette dated August 26, 2020 which indicated that her extension would take effect on her birthday, September 21, 2020, was a clear breach. The court said Wildman seemed to have focused on when the extension would have taken effect as opposed to the occasion on which the extension was agreed upon. “There was clearly an agreement for the DPP to be granted an extension prior to the 21st September 2020. The letter from the governor general to the prime minister dated 8th July 2020 speaks to a letter he received from the prime minister where he, the prime minister, had recommended the extension of the tenure of the DPP for three years. That letter was never produced to the court, but upon reading the letter of 8th July 2020, it was garnered that there was consultation with the leader of the Opposition. That letter led to the publication of the extension in the Extraordinary Gazette. “The Constitution speaks only to the agreement being concluded before the 60th birthday of the DPP. There was clearly an agreement in place before that day,” the court ruled, saying it found no merit in Wildman’s submissions. Wildman indicated that he would appeal the ruling. Attorney-at-law Kamau Ruddock, who represented the attorney general, had argued that the DPP’s appointment was in compliance with the specified section of the Constitution. She said it was clear that the governor general, on the recommendation of the prime minister after consulting with the opposition leader, permitted the DPP to continue in office. The Full Court, comprising justices Lorna Shelly-Williams, Simone WolfeReece and Andrea Pettigrew-Collins, heard the motion and dismissed it. Reacting to the ruling, Justice Minister Delroy Chuck said, “I am not surprised at the ruling of the Full Court. The action by the attorney for Mervin Cameron was ill conceived and without merit. It is clear that the governor general approved the extension and it was properly gazetted.” Court rules DPP’s 3-year extension lawful Director of Public Prosecutions, Paula Llewellyn FILE PROJECT STAR, the social transformation and renewal programme, led by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), in partnership with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), has after one year made tangible inroads towards empowering individuals in targeted communities across the island. KEITH DUNCAN, co-chair and project sponsor of Project STAR and immediate past president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), during a recent discussion about the programme said partnering with community residents and stakeholders has resulted in significant engagement and impact within these communities. The people engaged include youths, adults and the elderly. To date, the programme has broadened access to social services provided by the government, provided job-readiness training, supported the use of sports to improve community relations, and have worked towards improving attendance in schools at the early childhood level. “We have been able to establish community transformation boards in east downtown Kingston in collaboration with the Social Development Commission (SDC). There are groups working with the government agencies and other private sector groups that are looking at infrastructural development programmes. We are also looking at data sharing and integrative planning among ministries, departments and agencies that have been set to facilitate these processes,”Duncan said. SOCIAL COHESION Project STAR is now active in three communities: east downtown Kingston, Savanna-la-Mar, andmost recently, May Pen. “Through community capacity building, community-owned, community transformation plans the objective is closing the gaps to acceptable delivery of public services to the communities, a coordinated approach with technical partners, such as the Social Development Commission (SDC), HEART/NSTATrust, the Planning Institute of Jamaica, the Jamaica Social Investment Fund, and The Community Safety and Security Branch (CSSB) of the JCF,”Duncan said. “The objective is to also build working relationships with the Ministry of Education and Youth and, Ministry of Health andWellness, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, among other agencies to ensure a sustainable community development model beyond the five-year life of STAR that can be mainstreamed in other communities,” Duncan added during his presentation. During the lifetime of the project, in partnership with the JCF, Project STAR expects to see sustained reductions in major crime of 40 per cent in targeted communities. “We anticipate to increasing the employment levels in communities by 10 per cent with over 6,500 persons employed through STAR, engaging through support 3 per cent of businesses in each community, satisfying national workforce requirements and capacities to expand, impacting both community-based and national socio-economic indicators that will lead to increased business confidence and opportunities for growth,”Duncan said. “Through social transformation, the objective is to increasing access to social programmes and human capital development opportunities for 30 per cent of the communities or 19,500 individuals project wide,” he added. Project STAR is aiming to raise $2 billion to deliver the project at a scale, with the desired outcomes, and is looking to have a mixed funding approach to achieve this. Project STAR makes inroads Initiative hits one-year mark; aims to raise $2b Members of Project STAR and social Influencers, walk along a section Maiden Lane in Central Kingston where they chatted with residents and got a first hand look at what is happening in the communities there. IAN ALLEN/PHOTOGRAPHER NOTICE PURSUANT TO SECTION 82 OF THE REGISTRATION OF TITLES ACT (RTA) WHEREAS the applicant(s) in the above stated application has/have declared that the following duplicate Certificate of Title has been lost, I HEEBY GIVE NOTICE that I intend to cancel the said Certificate of Title and issue a new one in duplicate fourteen days after the last publication of this advertisement. OFFICE OF TITLES Volume: 1138 Folio: 459 Lot: 2,295 Place: Waterford Parish: St. Catherine Registered proprietor(s): Christine Ann-Marie Thorpe L. Dunbar Deputy Registrar of Titles
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