Livern Barrett/Senior Staff Reporter

From left: Omar Sweeney, managing director of Jamaica Social Investment Fund; Floyd Green, minister of agriculture, fisheries and mining; Matthew Samuda, minister of water, environment and climate change; and Wayne Robertson, permanent secretary in the Min
March 31, 2026 by Livern Barrett

Gov’t launches US$50m project for climate-resilient farming

A multibillion-dollar project designed by the Government to harden the country’s agriculture sector against climate shocks is expected to boost nearly 15,000 farmers in the first year, officials have…
March 27, 2026 by Livern Barrett

Tank-Weld flagged

Tank-Weld Metals (TW), the leading supplier of steel products in Jamaica, is “likely abusing its dominance in the market by harming rivals and customers”, a report by the country’s fair competition…
March 20, 2026 by Livern Barrett

$80m payday for fraudster

The Government has been ordered to pay almost $80 million to a man with dozens of fraud-related convictions after he languished in prison for six years and 11 months or 2,504 days in excess of his…
March 19, 2026 by Livern Barrett

Fraud accused’s true identity uncovered in $352m mortgage loan scam

Dwayne Pitter, a resident of Bay Farm Villa in St Andrew, is the person who allegedly used a fictitious name to get mortgage loans totalling $352 million from four commercial banks over a one-month…
Keith Darien, principal director of the Financial Investigations Division.
March 12, 2026 by Livern Barrett

FID cracks down on PPO delinquents

Two men accused of breaching pecuniary penalty orders (PPOs) imposed by the court are facing fresh charges, as the authorities signal a get-tough approach against individuals who fail to comply with…
March 11, 2026 by Livern Barrett

Judge to rule on keeping witness’s evidence in murder case against cops

The judge in the trial of six policemen accused of murder has reserved her decision on whether she will allow the evidence of a key prosecution witness. The media has been barred from disclosing the…
Chief Justice Bryan Sykes making a presentation during ‘A Conversation with the Judiciary’ at The Summit Hotel in New Kingston on Thursday.
February 27, 2026 by Livern Barrett

‘Nobody can dictate to judges’

The head of the judiciary took a swipe at Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Delroy Chuck yesterday, saying nobody – “regardless of the office they hold” – can “dictate” to judges how the…
Delroy Chuck, minister of justice and constitutional affairs.
February 26, 2026 by Livern Barrett

Guilty pleas not intended ahead of joining child diversion programmes – Chuck

Some judges appear to be misinterpreting the Child Diversion Act by compelling minors to plead guilty to criminal charges before steering them to intervention programmes, Justice Minister Delroy Chuck…
February 19, 2026 by Livern Barrett

Mediation muddle

At the completion of a court-ordered mediation in May last year, a judge at the Trelawny Parish Court dismissed four criminal charges laid against a businessman by two policemen who claimed he…