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☆ Jamaica cool on Charles' coronation as it eyes break with monarchy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Kate Chappell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The process to sever ties with the British monarchy is underway, following in the footsteps of another former Caribbean possession, Barbados. Maziki Thame, a political scientist at the University of the West Indies, agreed the coronation was of little significance. It gained independence in 1962 but retained the British monarch as head of state and stayed in the Commonwealth. Breaking ties with the monarchy is essential for Jamaica, said Steven Golding, president of the UNIIA-ACL, a Black nationalist organization founded in Jamaica by activist Marcus Garvey. "I'd like to hear what Charles has to say about the subjects in the Isle of Jamaica," she said.

☆ Jamaican court convicts gangster in landmark case
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KINGSTON, March 7 (Reuters) - Jamaica's Supreme Court convicted a well-known crime boss on Tuesday in a landmark trial, marking a win for the Caribbean island's recently reformed anti-gang laws. The ruling follows a series of judicial reforms aimed at reining in rampant gang violence. Dozens of other defendants are also on trial alongside Bryan, part of a 25-count indictment made up of charges including arson and murder. Five others have been released due to insufficient evidence since the trial began in 2021, while another suspect was killed. Recent judicial reforms allow judges to convict defendants based on a wider range of offenses, which could increase the length of prison sentences.

☆ Jamaica PM will not face corruption charges, despite 'evidence'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 16 (Reuters) - Jamaica's anti-corruption agency said on Thursday that the prime minister will not face any charges after investigating a potential conflict of interest around government contracts awarded to a construction company between 2006 and 2009. The prime minister's office could not be reached for comment about the latest development that he had been cleared. Holness said yesterday that he "strongly disagree(d) with the findings of the Integrity Commission regarding conflict of interest based on mere associations." He previously presided over the Ministry of Education, which awarded 10 contracts totaling almost JMD$22m ($140,000) over a two-year period to Westcon. Reporting by Isabel Woodford in Mexico City and Kate Chappell in Kingston; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Jamaica willing to take part in military intervention in Haiti, PM says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2022. REUTERS/David 'Dee' DelgadoKINGSTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Jamaica would be willing to take part in an international military deployment to Haiti, Prime Minister Andrew Holness told lawmakers on Tuesday, saying the Caribbean island country could also support its neighbor on electoral reforms. Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has pleaded for foreign military support. The U.N. envoy to Haiti, Helen La Lime, has called for more urgency, saying the police cannot win without outside support. "Jamaica would be willing to participate in a multinational security assistance deployment to Haiti under the appropriate jurisdictional parameters to support a return to a reasonable level of stability and peace," Holness told lawmakers.

☆ Usain Bolt seeks missing $12.7 mln from Jamaica investment firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Kate Chappell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KINGSTON, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Olympic champion Usain Bolt is seeking to recover more than $12.7 million that disappeared from his account with a Jamaican investment firm and is willing to take the case to court if necessary, Bolt's attorney said. "We will be going to court with the matter" if the company does not return the funds, Gordon said. The Jamaica Constabulary Force said on Monday that its fraud and financial investigation teams were probing "alleged fraudulent activities at (SSL) which are said to have affected the accounts of Mr. Usain Bolt among other individuals." Bolt's account was intended to serve as a pension for the eight-time Olympic gold medalist sprinter and for his parents, Gordon said. Reporting by Kate Chappell in Kingston and Brian Ellsworth in Caracas Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Jamaica seizes $80 million worth of cocaine from cargo ship
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Kate Chappell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KINGSTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Jamaican authorities have seized an estimated $80 million worth of cocaine from a ship at the port of Kingston in one of the country's biggest-ever drug busts, authorities said. Jamaican officials discovered the shipment hidden inside a cargo ship from South America, the Jamaica Constabulary Force said in a statement late on Saturday, putting its estimated street value at $80 million. The search of the cargo ship yielded more than 1,500 kilograms (3,306 lbs) of cocaine, the police said. Neither the police nor the defense force named the ship found to be carrying the cocaine and no arrests have been made. In October, global police agency Interpol said Jamaican authorities had made a record bust of 500 kilograms of cocaine, worth around $25 million, slated to be shipped on a private jet to Canada.

☆ Jamaica renews regional states of emergency due to gang violence
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Kate Chappell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Gilbert BellamyKINGSTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness renewed states of emergency in eight parishes on Wednesday to control an ongoing threat of crime linked to gang activity in the Caribbean nation. Holness on Nov. 15 had announced regional states of emergency, which allow authorities to search buildings and arrest citizens without a warrant. Police Commissioner Antony Anderson told the same press conference that Jamaica recorded an average of nearly five murders per day in September. The previous states of emergency, as well as new firearms legislation, have caused violent crime to decline, he said. There were 1,463 murders in Jamaica in 2021, with gang activity accounting for 71% of these, according to official data.

REUTERS/Gilbert BellamyKINGSTON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Tuesday declared a state of public emergency in parts of the capital Kingston and in some central and western parishes in an attempt to control rising crime linked to gang violence. States of emergency give authorities increased powers, including the ability to search buildings and carry out arrests without warrants. "What we are seeing with gang activities in these areas is cause for grave concern," he added. Holness predicted an increase in murders over the next several weeks with the onset of the holiday season, when violent crime typically spikes. Gang violence was the reason for 71% of those murders, he said.

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