| – accused claimed he was unaware of charges Magistrate Haymant Ramdhani yesterday withdrew an arrest warrant he had issued for former judge Jainarayan Singh Jr., following his non-appearance to answer four traffic charges last week.This was after attorneys for the former judge made strong submissions when the matter was called up yesterday at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court.Singh Jr. was represented by attorneys at law K. A. Juman-Yassin and Jaya Singh.The former judge maintained that he was never informed by the police that he would be charged nor was he informed of any date to attend court.His attorneys submitted that he had never been served with a notice of intended prosecution or a summons stating the charges and date for hearing.The Prosecutor in the matter, yesterday, had no reply to these submissions.During the hearing, Magistrate Ramdhani noted that the recognizance for bail which stated the date for the hearing was written by three different persons.Assistant Commissioner Gavin Primo, who heads the Police East Coast Demerara Division, is maintaining the police side of the story, that on Tuesday night last the former judge was detained by police at the Cove and John Police Station on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.The arrest stemmed from a minor accident at Clonbrook on the East Coast of Demerara.At the ‘C’ Division Headquarters, the former judge reportedly refused to take the breathalyzer test, citing his asthmatic condition.He reportedly blew several times into the apparatus but it failed to produce a result.According to the police, he was subsequently released on self bail and ordered to return the following day.Officials at Cove and John had disclosed that charges were filed against the former judge who returned to the station the following day. However, because the Magistrate was not available early at the time, he was sent away and did not appear before the court.But on Friday last when the matter was called, the former judge was absent and the arrest warrant was issued for him.*************************Govt. rates and taxes ‘must split three ways’– municipality questions Local Govt. Ministry’s authority to direct paymentThe recent $40M paid over by Government to the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown (M&CC) as rates and taxes owed, is a sum that falls short of the amount due and payable for taxes on certain Government properties in the city for the second and third quarters of this year.This state of affairs has been outlined in a letter dated August 13, 2010, by City Mayor Hamilton Green.The letter which had as its subject ‘RE: Order of Minister’ was addressed to the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Kellawan Lall, but found its way to media houses yesterday.The content of the letter stemmed from deliberations during an emergency meeting of the municipality’s Finance Committee with the City Mayor and other councillors last Friday.Reports are that Government owes just over $80M in rates and taxes to the municipality for the second and third quarter payment period of this year.However, Government in an effort to intervene in the recent garbage crisis in the city had decided to pay a portion of the taxes owed, with a mutual understanding that the monies will be paid over to the contractors in order to have them resume garbage collection.The waste disposal contractors had withdrawn their service from the municipality in May due to non-payment. Some $60M is owed to the contractors. Last Friday, Government paid over a total of $40M to City Hall, and according to Mayor Green’s letter, the municipality had received the stated sum from the Ministry of Finance that same afternoon.However, prior to the payment of the money, the Minister, following discussions with council officials, had ordered that the monies be paid to Waste Disposal Contractors – Cevon’s Waste Management and Waste Disposal Service and Puran Brothers Waste Disposal Service.In fact,Cheap Jerseys From China, Minister Lall and President Bharrat Jagdeo had engaged the two contractors early last week, disregarding a third contractor, Crawler and Wheeler, which is responsible for managing the Le Repentir dump site.According to Mayor Green in his letter to the Minister “…your order ignores the contractor who has the responsibility for the disposal and covering of all waste delivered to the Le Repentir Garbage Facility.”However, a subsequent letter from the Local Government Ministry signed by its Permanent Secretary, Nigel Dharamlall, addressed to Acting Town Clerk, Yonette Pluck-Cort, instructed that of the amount paid a total of $15M should be paid to Puran Brothers’ Waste Disposal, $15M to Cevon’s Waste Management and Waste Disposal Service and the remaining $10M to Crawler and Wheeler.It was outlined by the Mayor that “…after all of our discussions, public statements and hype relating to our tenuous financial situation, this sum made available on August 13, 2010 (last Friday) apart from being quite arbitrary appears to be punitive.”In fact, it is Green’s opinion that the development “has the potential to be contentious, given statements I heard, made by you (Minister) suggesting that the Mayor and City Council ought not to be relied upon to disperse its funds in a sensible or satisfactory manner, that is, as far as the state hierarchy is concerned.”It is the conviction of Mayor and other municipal officials that the directive from the Local Government Ministry suffocates discussions the municipality has planned with all of the solid waste contractors to find a modus vivendi (temporary agreement).“This you’ll agree is wholly untenable; after all, the three contractors have agreements with the Mayor and City Council and not Central Government,” Green’s letter stressed.Meanwhile, the letter questioned a statement made by Dharamlall that the Minister had met with the Acting Town Clerk ahead of last Friday’s payout.According to Green’s letter “…of some interest is to know, at what time of the day Friday August 13, did the Pluck-Minister discussion take place, as referred to in the letter from the PS.”Another question emanating from the municipal meeting is by what authority the Minister decided to order City Hall how to pay out the owed rates and taxes.“While anxious to obey and comply with the above commandment, we hereby seek clarity and therefore ask if you’ll be kind enough to tell us under which regulation or by what authority the said order is made. There is no such reference contained in the correspondence shown to us by the Town Clerk (ag)…”Green informed that the municipality has since sought advice from its legal representative.*************************Statistics reveal increase in recipients of old-age pensionFor this year, data indicates that there has been an increase in the recipients of old age pension. As of March 2010, there were 44,200 pensioners as against 41,179 for the same period in 2009. This is according to the Social Services’ Statistical Quarterly Bulletin.Statistics also indicate that approval was given for public assistance to 4,256 recipients in Region 3, 4 and 6. It was reported that under these programmes, more than 50,000 elderly and otherwise vulnerable beneficiaries are expected to receive direct income support on a monthly basis.According to reports, given the income and expenditure profile of the beneficiaries, almost all of the amounts disbursed are transmitted immediately into the domestic economy through consumption of goods and services.It was disclosed earlier in the year that in addition to other initiatives such as the water rates assistance programme, under which Government provides financial support to meet water charges on behalf of old age pensioners, there is the staggered electricity tariff structure which sees household consumers of small amounts of electricity below a specified monthly threshold being billed at a concessional rate, which is designed to assist pensioners with inflation.The Government’s residential programme for the elderly, namely the Palms, indicates that for this year the average percentages of males and females utilizing the facility are 52 and 48, respectively. March recorded the highest number of inmates at any time for the year to date. There has been a steady increase in the number of residents at the institution.Old Age Benefit is payable to Insured Persons who have attained the age of sixty (60) years. The Benefit can be in the form of a Periodical Payment (Pension) or a Grant (lump-sum). Qualifying Conditions include that the Insured Person must have: paid not less than one hundred and fifty (150) contributions, been paid or credited with not less than seven hundred and fifty (750) contributions, and attained the age of sixty (60) years. However, to qualify for an Old Age Grant, persons should make no less than fifty (50) contributions or attaining the age of 60.(Rabindra Rooplall) |
