Black Immigrant Daily News

The trial of the 28 alleged members of the One Don faction of the Clansman gang has been further delayed for several days as a result of Chief Justice Bryan Sykes’ absence due to COVID-19.

Despite the delay, High Court Judge, Justice Leighton Pusey, who filled in for Sykes on Wednesday, implored the prosecution and the defence to use the unscheduled delay to get their houses in order.

The prosecutors were on Wednesday expected to reveal whether they would agree to admit the records of several log books from both the Horizon Remand Centre and the Spanish Town Police Station into evidence, given the difficulties to locate five police officers who initially made the entries.

Subpoenas have been issued for two of the lawmen who are on suspension, as well as three others whose whereabouts cannot be definitively established.

Defence attorneys are trying to use the relevant records to prove that four of the defendants defendants – Pete Miller, Kalifa Williams, Tareek James and Donovan Richards – were in police custody when the criminal acts that they are accused of committing were carried out.

Sykes stormed out of court on Tuesday after defence attorney Gavin Stewart sought help from a court assistant to show the prosecution a section of a dispatcher’s log book he was using to support his case for his client, Pete Miller.

“This is a grand waste of my time… This passing around and so on is wasting time,” Sykes remarked.

He then asked: “Have all the records been examined, so we don’t waste time in court?”

On Wednesday, Pusey urged the prosecution and the defence to use the extended delay arising from Sykes’s scheduled seven-day absence to their advantage.

“The absence of the chief justice doesn’t mean all the things you need to do stops. It gives you an opportunity to put things in place for it all to move smoothly as possible next week,” Pusey advised.

He subsequently adjourned the case until Tuesday, July 12.

COVID-19 has repeatedly stalled the trial since its commencement in September of last year.

In October, defendants Andre Golding and Owen Ormsby received positive COVID-19 test results, forcing the trial to be adjourned for approximately seven days.

Then in January, the trial was adjourned for two weeks following the confirmation that members of the prosecution team had tested positive for the respiratory illness.

In June, defendant Stephanie ‘Mumma’ Christie tested positive for the virus, which caused a delay for several days.

The 28 accused are being tried under the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organisations Act), 2014, better known as the anti-gang legislation, on an indictment containing several counts.

The offences were allegedly committed between January 1, 2015, and June 30, 2019, mainly in St Catherine, with at least one murder committed in St Andrew.

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

Senator Damani Tabor is by no means surprised at the findings of polls conducted by Linley Winter in seven constituencies, five of which apparently show a swing towards the United Progressive Party (UPP).

Tabor, the UPP’s newly elected Public Relations Officer, says that over the past year, especially, there has been a significant shift towards the UPP, a conclusion supported by Winter’s polls.

He says the shift towards the main opposition party is not only among ordinary citizens who are struggling, but among many business owners who continue to cry for assistance to shore up their ailing companies.

Senator Tabor, however, is cautioning supporters not to become complacent on account of the numbers, since the ALP will do whatever is required to hold onto power at all costs.

MORE FROM REAL NEWS:

Local pollster Linley Winter says that polls he conducted earlier this year showed a swing of 10 to 15 percent away from the incumbent Antigua Labour Party (ALP) and towards the United Progressive Party (UPP). The results can still be considered as valid, he says, given that circumstances have not changed much.

In fact, Winter adds, many residents would say that things have gotten worse – after a second hike in fuel prices within months.

Winter conducted a poll in seven of the 17 constituencies, and the outcome in five of them – St. John’s City East; St. George; St. Mary’s North; St. Mary’s South; and All Saints West – looks favourable for the UPP.

His findings contradict the alleged polls of the ALP, which claim it will win all 17 constituencies, and even those conducted by regional pollster Peter Wickham, who says the Labour Party will retain power.

Winter says the majority of his polling was done in March.

In the studies conducted, Winter says two things were observed, one being that the ALP has lost substantial ground when compared to the immense support it received in the 2018 general elections.

Elaborating further, Winter says it is still a toss-up whether these results will hold into the next election cycle, and that depends on several factors.

According to the pollster, at present, there is a tie in one of the seven constituencies polled, while in the other the ALP is approximately five points ahead of the UPP Candidate.

Meanwhile, in the areas polled, Winter says there is no indication, to date, that the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) will be a deciding factor, thus making the race a two-way fight between the main opposition UPP and the incumbent ALP.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is perplexed at reports about a shortage of sugar in the country, and has indicated that this is far from the truth.

Citizens have been complaining of an apparent shortage of sugar on the local market, resulting in increased prices for the commodity which is now seemingly in short supply.

INews also spoke to several persons who indicated that non of their local shops are selling the product.

These reports have reached the Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha who raised the issue with the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) on Wednesday morning.

In discussion with the top management of the sugar company however, the Minister was assured that there is no shortage of sugar.

“I’m not aware of it, I met GuySuCo this morning and they assured me there is no shortage of sugar…I told them to call in the distributors and inform them what are the views around the country of people saying sugar short and the price gone up…they told me, they assured me there is no shortage of sugar,” Mustapha said when contacted by this publication for a comment on the issue.

He said the suspicion at the moment is that “some people want to create a shortage”. Against this backdrop, he warned that any suppler hoarding in a bid to increase the price for the commodity will be dealt with accordingly.

Minister Mustapha directed further questions on the matter to the acting Chief Executive Officer at GuySuCo Threbowan Shiwprasad.

When contacted, Shiwprasad indicated that he is in a meeting and that this publication should call back at a later time.

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

El presidente de la Cámara de Representantes Rafael “Tatito” Hernández Montañez recesó los trabajos hasta el 25 de julio al asegurar que dependen del Senado para poder atender las medidas presentadas por el gobernador en la Sesión Extraordinaria.

“La convocatoria del gobernador no tienen ni una sola medida para atender en la Cámara. Así que necesitamos acción legislativa del cuerpo hermano para nosotros obviamente poder atender”, dijo Hernández Montañez en su alocución.

“Así que, vamos como quiera, agradecido del gobernador que pueda hacer una enmienda, pueda hacer un ajuste a la convocatoria para nosotros poder atenderla y buscar unos puntos de encuentro y en ese espíritu estamos. Para ese y cualquier otro tema”, añadió.

NewsAmericasNow.com