Manatt Commission Set to Report May 16

By: - April 21st, 2011

Lawyers in the Manatt-Dudus Commission of Enquiry in Jamaica made their final submissions yesterday as the commission prepares to present its report by the May 16 deadline. The report centers on two main questions — whether the extradition of Christopher Coke was handled correctly, and, if so, who will be held accountable. [Jamaica Observer]

CJ Politics

Jamaica Reports Increase in Cruise Ships

There was a nearly double-digit increase in the number of cruise ship arrivals to Jamaica during the winter, according to Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett. “The stage is now set for yet another remarkable year of performance in terms of arrivals and foreign exchange earnings,” he said. The total increase was 34,954 visitors to the […]

CJ Politics

More Extradition Controversy for Jamaica

Jamaican Tony Ashman, who was slated to be extradited from Jamaica to England to face a murder charge, has been detained for more than 60 days without being extradited. Now, pressure in the country, led by the opposition People’s National Party, is mounting to expedite the request. Ashman was released last week on a Supreme […]

CJ Politics

World Bank: Jamaican Crime Reduction Could Mean 5 percent Increase in Growth

If Jamaica can reduce its crime rate to the level of Costa Rica, it could see a 5.4 percent increase in gross domestic product, according to the World Bank’s World Development Report for 2011. “Indirect costs — associated with stress and trauma, time off work due to violent incidents, and lower productivity from injury or […]


Jamaican Government Temporarily Cuts Fuel Taxes, Staves Off Protest

Minister of Finance and Public Service Audley Shaw The Jamaican Government temporarily reduced the ad valorem tax on petrol from 15 percent to 10 percent yesterday, with the cut set to take effect Thursday. The move came after threats of protests by the opposition People’s National Party if the government did not cap the taxon […]

U.S. Firm Manatt, Phelps and Phillips Mum on Commission Evidence

A conference room at the firm’s office The ongoing commission examining efforts by Jamaica’s leaders to lobby the United States concerning the requested extradition of Christopher “Dudus” Coke could hinge on whether U.S. law firm Manatt, Phelps and Phillips, which is at the center of the enquiry, will produce evidence. The firm has not said […]

Jamaica to Tap Chinese Coffee Market

Minister of Finance and Public Service Audley Shaw The Jamaican Government temporarily reduced the ad valorem tax on petrol from 15 percent to 10 percent yesterday, with the cut set to take effect Thursday. The move came after threats of protests by the opposition People’s National Party if the government did not cap the taxon […]

Golding, Testifying at Commission, Says No Contact with Coke

As Jamaica’s Manatt Commission of Enquiry draws to a close, Prime Minister Bruce Golding said that he had not tipped off former Tivoli Gardens strongman Christopher “Dudus” Coke after Jamaica received the United States’ extradition request. “I have not seen or spoken to Coke for at least a year and a half before the extradition […]