4 ECJ denies selling voter data access THE ELECTORAL Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) has denied as false claims in a Sunday Gleaner article that it has sold voter data access, but the national election authority did not say it had not collected money from credit bureaus and financial institutions for services rendered. THE SUNDAY Gleaner article, which quoted extensively from written responses provided by the ECJ, revealed that the ECJ collected approximately $300,000 between 2019 and 2021 under two contracts it has with credit bureaus providing an online service for the authentication of voter ID cards, with data restricted to that presented on the cards. The article also disclosed, based on figures provided by the ECJ, that it collected almost $1 million from eight financial institutions under similar arrangements over the same period. In its response Sunday, the ECJ said it wasn’t making a profit from the arrangements. “The fee that is charged to these institutions in need of verifying electors’ card information is the actual cost for maintenance of this replica database and not a scheme for the ECJ/EOJ to be profiteering from the personal information of its stakeholders,” said the ECJ. It also noted: “The ECJ/Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) does not sell access nor has it granted access to the elector registration voter identification database, which includes electors’ biometric and demographic information.” Tourismminister opens tourism resilience centre at Canadian college CANADA’S GEORGE Brown College has joined Nairobi, Kenya, Amman, Jordan, and Costa Rica, establishing a Global Tourism Resilience Satellite Centre, in partnership with Jamaica. By July, Sofia, Bulgaria, Anbuja in Nigeria, Athens, Greece, Miami and London will inaugurate satellite centres, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett told The Gleaner on Sunday, hours after signing a memorandumof understanding (MOU) with George Brown College. The co-chair of Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) based at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Bartlett described the historic move as an opportunity to exchange knowledge between the two countries, in what will benefit global tourism. Case crumbles against accused gangster cop ONE OF four police officers who were on Friday busted in an operation targeting the Clarendon-based Ranko Gang was released following the refusal of two witnesses to take part in an identification (ID) parade exercise. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Anthony McLaughlin, who heads the Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Division, told The Gleaner on Monday that the two witnesses had given a statement implicating the cop in robberies but have refused to cooperate any further. Noting that the police cannot hold the implicated lawmen indefinitely, the assistant commissioner said a positive identification would have been crucial in tying the suspect to the gang. However, he said: “The case is still open, so once the potential witnesses change their mind and are willing to cooperate with the police, then the matter will continue.” Prince William: Commonwealth links to crown up to the people LONDON (AP): AS CARIBBEAN nations debate their relationship with the British crown, PrinceWilliam says he will support and respect whatever decision the people make. William, second in line to the throne, made the comments after an eight-day tour of Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas, during which he and wife Kate were celebrated, but also criticised as being “tone-deaf” for perpetuating images of Britain’s colonial rule. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness told the royals his country intended to become a republic, removing the British monarch as its head of state. “I know that this tour has brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future,”William said in a statement reflecting the end of their tour on Saturday. “In Belize, Jamaica andThe Bahamas, that future is for the people to decide upon.” The young royals visited the three nations as representatives of Queen Elizabeth II, who celebrates the 70th anniversary of her reign this year. During those seven decades, she has been the head of state for the United Kingdom and 14 ‘realms’ that were once colonies of the British Empire and are now independent countries. Reggae icon, Tabby Diamond killed REGGAE LEGEND Donald Orlando Shaw, more popularly known as Tabby Diamond, leader singer of world renowned group, The Mighty Diamonds was killed in his community on Tuesday, March 29. Shaw and a man identified as Owen Beckford were killed when a gunman opened fire at a group of people outside a shop across from his house on McKinley Crescent about 9:40 p.m. Three other people, including a woman, were also shot. The police believe that Tuesday’s attack could be stemming from a long-time feud between factions fromMcKinley Crescent andWint Road. [News You May Have Missed] THE MONTHLY GLEANER | APRIL 4 - 30, 2022 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS
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