Morning Bites: 5 things to know for Tuesday; Local Gov't Election; Sagicor Employees; Clovis Toon; Breaking News and more

Morning Bites: 5 things to know for Tuesday, February 21, 2023 McKenzie to announce postponement of Local Gov’t Elections The Local Government Elections will be [officially postponed for a third time](. The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Desmond McKenzie, will make the announcement today, during the sitting of the House of Representatives. McKenzie will present for debate, The Representation of the People (Postponement of Elections to Municipal Corporation and City Municipalities) Act. The bill to postpone the local polls will be tabled and taken. This will be the third time since late 2022 that McKenzie would have used the Parliament to announce the [postponement of the elections](. In January last year the Parliament voted to temporarily modify the Representation of the People (Postponement of Elections to Municipal Corporations and City Municipalities) Act to allow for local government elections to be postponed for a further 12 months. They were due to be held this month. The local polls were previously delayed from November 2020 ostensibly because of the health risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This was despite the fact that General Elections were held just two months prior in September of that year. The government has [faced criticism]( for the latest postponement including from the influential Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and the Opposition People’s National Party. Sagicor Four in court for $69m fraud case The four current and former employees of Sagicor Jamaica who have been implicated in a $69 million fraud that was uncovered at the financial institution last October are set to appear in court today. Among them is 26-year-old [Tishan Samuels]( who is charged with larceny as a servant, conspiracy to defraud and access with intent to commit or facilitate the commission of an offence under the cybercrimes law. Samuels, the last to be charged, was nabbed by members of the Fraud Squad at Sagicor’s New Kingston headquarters earlier this month. She was charged later the same day following an interview in the presence of her attorney. She was offered station bail in the amount of $1 million. It is alleged that Samuels facilitated the processing of unauthorised transactions. The others who have been charged are [Tricia Moulton]( former Liguanea Branch manager, her sister [Alysia Moulton White]( former Sagicor group vice president and personal banker, and Malika McLeod. Moulton White was separated from Sagicor on December 31 while the others are on suspension. Keith Clarke trial date to be settled The three Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) soldiers charged with the 2010 murder of businessman Keith Clarke should know today [when their trial will begin](. The trial was halted in 2018 to allow for the constitutional court to determine the legality of immunity certificates given to them by former National Security Minister Peter Bunting. During a case management hearing in January, Supreme Court Judge, Justice Vinette Graham-Allen, said a trial date will be settled on February 21 when another hearing is scheduled. Today’s date was set after the defence team requested time to take instructions from their clients. The Appeal Court – which heard the matter - in handing down the ruling said it affirmed the Order of the Full Court that “the criminal trial initiated by virtue of the Voluntary Bill of Indictment originally issued in July 2012 by the Director of Public Prosecutions be restored to the trial list and be permitted to continue”. It however ordered that the trial should be preceded before the arraignment (the accused are informed of the charges against them and asked to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty) by a process in the nature of a voir dire (a separate hearing where the judge determines whether evidence is admissible and can potentially be entered into evidence in the trial) to determine whether the Director of Public Prosecutions can rebut the certificates of good faith issued by the minister. The Appeal Court further said the preliminary procedure should be conducted by the taking of viva voce (oral) evidence with statements or affidavits to be filed and exchanged in advance. Clarke, an accountant, was shot and killed at his Kirkland Heights, St Andrew home in May 2010 during a joint military and police operation to apprehend Jamaica’s then most wanted fugitive, Tivoli Gardens strongman Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke while the island was under a state of emergency. Subsequently, in July 2012, the DPP instituted criminal proceedings against the three soldiers – Lance Corporals Greg Tinglin, Odel Buckley and Private Arnold Henry – for the murder of Clarke. However, at the start of the proceedings, defence attorneys presented certificates (in respect of each soldier) signed by the then Minister of National Security Peter Bunting and contended that these certificates (referred to as ‘the good-faith certificates’ or ‘the certificates’) immunised the soldiers from prosecution. The good-faith certificates were dated 22 February 2016 and were issued in accordance with regulation 45 of the Emergency Powers (No 2) Regulations, 2010 (‘the Regulations’). They stated that the actions of the soldiers which may have caused the death of Clarke were “done in good faith in the exercise of their functions as members of the security forces, for public safety, the restoration of order, the preservation of the peace and in the public interest”. Advertisement Holness hosts Mento Night Media Party at Jamaica House Prime Minister Andrew Holness will host Mento Night, a media party, on the lawns of Jamaica House this evening. The event is scheduled to start at 5:30pm and will run until 11:00pm. Leipzig's 'difference maker' Nkunku returns for Man City showdown Bundesliga side RB Leipzig are gearing up to face juggernauts Manchester City in their home Champions League tie on Wednesday, and hoping the [return of top goalscorer Christopher Nkunku]( will make all the difference. Nkunku made a late cameo in Leipzig's 3-0 win at Wolfsburg on Saturday, setting up a goal for Konrad Laimer after a 98-day absence which saw him miss France's run to the World Cup final in Qatar. His 21 minutes on the pitch Saturday has him in line for a return to the starting eleven, and manager Marco Rose said it shows how valuable the star forward is to Leipzig's hopes. "You could see how good it was for us that Christopher is back," Rose said after the victory. "With him on the pitch, we are more unpredictable as a team." Nkunku suffered a knee injury in November in France's last training session before departing for Qatar, one of a series of injury blows for the team in the tournament run-up. Despite missing five league matches, Nkunku still sits atop of Leipzig's goalscoring charts this season with 12 -- just one less than Bundesliga season leader Niclas Fuellkrug. ICYMI: WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING BOJ maintains 7% interest rate, but increases cash reserve requirements The Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) is maintaining its policy interest rate – the rate the bank offers to deposit-taking institutions on overnight placements – [at seven per cent per annum](. Father, son found dead in St Catherine Police in St Catherine are probing a double murder after the [bodies of a father and his son were found in a canefield in Tydixon, Lluidas Vale]( on Monday afternoon. UPDATE: Second Grand Bahia worker killed near hotel identified The employee of the Grand Bahia Principe Hotel in Runaway Bay, St Ann who was killed in a hit-and-run in the vicinity of the hotel this morning [has been identified](. CLOVIS TOON TODAY IN HISTORY Malcolm X shot and killed [On this day]( in 1965, former Black Muslim leader Malcolm X is shot and killed by assassins as he was about to address a rally in New York City. For more stories, visit our website at www.jamaicaobserver.com or [sign up for our e-paper](. [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Website]( Copyright © 2023 Jamaica Observer, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 40 - 42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue Kingston 5 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](.