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AS DIRECTOR of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn prepares to appeal the“unduly lenient”sentenc- ing of a reputed gangster convicted of two murders, the man’s lawyer is accusing Jamaica’s chief prosecutor of bringing the judicial system into disrepute. Llewellyn is capitalising on the Judicature (Appellate Jurisdiction) (Amendment) Act, new legislation that allows for prosecutorial appeals. The law became effective with the gover- nor general’s assent on November 2. Lindell Powell, a former member of the notorious King Valley Gang in Westmoreland, was sentenced to 12 years in the Hanover Parish Court on December 2. He will become eligible for parole in 10 years. Powell’s attorney, Dionne Meyler Barrett, has defended the sentencing period, arguing that her client has al- ready spent four years in jail. Meyler Barrett has accused the DPP of grandstanding, describing the press statement issued December 2 by the chief prosecutor as “sensationalism, half-truths, one-sided and skewed to no doubt engage and enrage the public”. Last week, Llewellyn labelled Justice BetramMorrison’s 12-year sentence of Powell as shocking – which was cause for her to seek recourse in what will be a historic first prosecutorial appeal. But Justice Morrison’s decision has been backed by the Cornwall Bar Association, whose president, Michael Hemmings, said the judiciary has the capability to assess each case on its merit. “If it is that the judge deemed that the man should be sentenced to 12 years to be served concurrently, it must have been appropriate based on the mitigating and aggravating factors presented at court,” said Hemmings. THE WEEKLY GLEANER | DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2021 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS 4 THE W EKLY GLEAN R | DECEMBER 13, 2021 - JANUARY 2 2 NEW YORK, CMC: N EW YORK City Council has passed legislation expanding the right to vote in municipal elec- tions to an estimated 900,000 non-citizen New Yorkers, including Caribbean nationals, with legal permanent residence status or other valid work authorisation. The NewYork Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an umbrella policy and advocacy organisation for more than 200 immi- gration groups in the New York State, said it collaborated, for years, with other groups and allies, such as the Our City, Our Vote Coalition (OCOV), and United Neighborhood Houses (UNH), in ensuring the eventual passage of the historic measure. NYIC saidThursday’s vote, “the most significant expansion of NewYork City’s democracy in over a century, also marked a significant victory in the ongoing fight for voting rights across the country. “Today, we finally gave immigrant NewYorkers who raise their kids here, build our economy, and contribute to this vibrant city every single day a voice in their local democracy,” NYIC executive director Murad Awawdeh told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC). “This groundbreaking legislation gives nearly one mil- lion New Yorkers a voice in the issues we all care about; the quality of our schools, the safety of our streets, and countless other large and small ways the city government impacts our lives. “Now, it’s time for Mayor (Bill) de Blasio to immediately sign Intro 1867 into law,” Awawdeh said. The mayor will demit office on December 31, after two consecutive terms. Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr, who traces his roots to Jamaica, said that “in a time when de- mocracy itself is under threat across the world, I applaud both the City Council for its courageous vote to enfranchise nearly one million of our neighbours and the countless advocates who fought tirelessly for years to make this victory possible. “Our city, and our democracy, is a fairer and stronger place today because of this vote and the dedicated activism it took to get here,” he said. Caribbean nationals in NYC win right to vote in municipal elections DPP Paula Llewellyn FILE Convict’s lawyer slams DPP for historic appeal Di smi ssed dean of di scipl ine at Hopewell High in Hanover, Alfred Grayson, was dealt another blow in his efforts to retain his job after the Supreme Cour t upheld, on Wednesday, December 8, the school board’s decision to terminate his employment. However, he plans to take his fight to the Court of Appeal. Grayson, following a hearing with the school board, was fired from his job in April 2019 for being absent on several days. The teacher was found gui l ty o f p r o f e s s i o n a l m i s c o n d u c t , unpunctual i t y, inef f i c iency, and neglect of duties. Grayson had contended that he was on the job at the time the board claimed he was absent. He also argued that his job required him to be away from the compound at times, as he had to go on the street to ensure that students were not late for school. Grayson, consequently, challenged the board’s decision via an injunction in the Supreme Cour t and was granted a stay until a judicial review hearing, which was held on December 7 and 8. Attorney-at-law Tessa Simpson, who represented the school, told The Gleaner on Wednesday that Justice Anne-Marie Nembhard refused the rel ief and declarat ion sought by Grayson to quash the board’s decision to fire him as dean of discipline. She said that Grayson, as a result of his conduct in initiating the judicial review proceedings, was also ordered by the judge to pay the school board’s legal fees. Bu t Gr ay son’s l awye r , Hugh Wildman, said that his client will be appealing the high court’s ruling. Sangster projecting 70 per cent bump in passenger traffic for 2022 MBJ Airpor ts Limited, operator of the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James, is forecasting a 70 per cent increase in passengers using its facility in 2022 as it regains pre-COVID-19 dominance of travel and tourism. Like the rest of the wor ld, the airport saw zero business when the country ’s borders were closed for several weeks last year owing to the pandemic. However, it is now being touted as one of the few airports in the world to have launched so many new international routes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Montego Bay ai rpor t now boasts of receiving service out of Zurich, Switzerland, from Edelweiss, with Eurowings serving Frankfur t, and US carrier Frontier adding several new routes, among the reasons for its passenger traffic increase. Between January and November, the airport had processed more than 2.25 million passengers, compared to 1.5 million in 2020, CEO Shane Munroe told stakeholders during the airport’s annual forum on Wednesday morning. “As of November, we were up 49 per cent, and in terms of aircraft movements, last year, we were just about 17,000 aircraft, and we are up 43 per cent this year. So we are seeing the continued recovery of air travel to Jamaica,” he revealed. Cargo is not as promising and continues to perform similar to 2020 levels, he stated, adding that he is anticipating the same trajectory for 2022. The airpor t ’s top routes remain dominated by the United States, and American Airlines still holds the number-one posi t ion as leading carrier into the island. Major changes to appointing public boards The passage of new regulations will introduce sweeping changes to the way the boards of public bodies are appointed and carry out their duties – a point of concern amid a swirl of scandals in the Holness administration. Opposition Leader Mark Golding has suggested that a cap be placed on the number of nominees political par t ies can recommend to the database from which appointments will be made to public boards. Tha t recommenda t i on came before lawmakers in the Lower House approved, on Tuesday, December 7 a resolution titled the Public Bodies Management and Accountabi l i ty (PBMA) (Nomination, Selection and Appointment to Boards) Regulations, 2021. In his contribution to the debate, Golding said he had concerns about the inclusion of political parties in the list of groups that can nominate per sons to be inc luded in the database for selection. Other groups that can make nominat ions to boards inc lude p r o f e s s i ona l bod i e s , bu s i ne s s assoc i at ions , t rade unions , the po r t fo l i o mi n i s t e r , pe rmanen t secretary, and civil-society special- interest organisations. Finance and the Publ ic Service Minister Dr Nigel Clarke, who piloted the resolution, said that the new rules governing public boards would not apply to educational institutions. The regulations singled out five public bodies of strategic importance whose di rectors would have to undergo fit-and-proper tests to serve on the boards. The entities are the National Water Commission, the National Housing Trust, Petrojam, the Port Authority of Jamaica, and the HEART/NSTA Trust . At least two of them – Petrojam and the HEART/NSTA – have come under public scrutiny for impropriety. Clarke said that those publ ic bodies deemed to be of strategic importance have a sizeable asset base or are considered to have a significant economic impact and can pose a fiscal risk. In a move towards gender equality on boards, the regulations prescribe that the total membership of a board shall comprise a minimum of 30 per cent of either men or women. Court rules against fired dean of discipline [ NEWSYOU MAY HAVE MISSED ]

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