DIONNE Jennings, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, was yesterday brought before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court over the Riverton fire and the failure to stop the smoke nuisance that plagued the Corporate Area and parts of St Catherine for more than 12 days this month.
Jennings was summoned to court after failing to comply with a notice issued under the hand of the public health inspector for Kingston and St Andrew on March 13 for the fire to be put out and the smoke stopped.
Jennings was served with the summons on March 20 to appear in court for failure to comply with the notice.
But the summons was withdrawn after attorney Peter Champagnie submitted to the court that there was no basis in law for the charges to be brought against Jennings and that the proper body to be cited is the National Solid Waste Management Authority.
“If there is ever a case of malicious prosecution, this is it. She is owed an apology,” Champagnie told the Jamaica Observer after the case concluded.
“This matter causing Ms Jennings to be brought before the court shows a lack of understanding on the part of the agency as to what the law is,” Champagnie said.
Of course not dutty PNP never holds anyone responsible…if they had the chane dem woulda seh a JLP dweet