Caribbean News
Legal Year Opens, TCI’s DPP reveals conviction rates
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, January 11, 2023 – The Turks and Caicos preliminary conviction rates for 2022 were revealed in the recent Legal Year Opening ceremony held on January 4th. Eugene Otuonye, KC, Director of Public Prosecutions made the statistics public but before getting into them he revealed that data was missing in some areas notably January to March but did not say why.
Based on the available numbers, the Magistrate’s court had a conviction rate of 84% with 184 convictions from the 209 cases tried. The cases at the magistrates level are usually minor including theft, break ins etc. or preliminary trials for cases that will move on to higher courts.
At the Supreme Court of the 66 cases tried, 50 ended in convictions based on guilty pleas or verdicts, only seven cases came back not guilty or were dismissed. Sixteen cases were withdrawn, resulting in a 76 percent conviction rate, the DPP said.
Otuonye detailed some of the offences tried during the year citing forgeries, homicides and firearm and ammunition
offences.
Only three cases went to the Court of Appeal, two were dismissed and only one criminal case went to the Privy Council which awaits a verdict.
Several high profile misses in the justice system were recorded in 2022 in both criminal and civil matters, one of which put a suspected sex criminal back on the street. They ranged from a conflict of interest with the police provided translator in one case to huge payouts because of poor treatment of migrants and permanent residents, and improper introduction of evidence by prosecutors in others
The DPP maintained that convictions were not the sole aim of prosecutors.
“While the rate of conviction dismissal and acquittal may more reflect the state of the criminal justice system it can hardly be used to assess the effectiveness of a prosecutor whose primary focus is not to seek conviction at all costs but to act as a minister of justice.”
He admitted that the DPPs office was not where it needed to be but said they were working on getting it better in the 2023 year. The courts of the Turks and Caicos Islands are now officially opened for 2023.
A contrast to last year’s opening which had to be downsized because of emergence of the omicron variant within the Coronavirus pandemic and the attendees having to be spaced out for safety in an open air ceremony, this year was held at the St Monica’s Anglican Church and the Annex courtroom. Attended by members of all three arms of Government.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, October 6, 2024 – A mural symbolising the theme ‘Tourism and Peace: Out of Many, One Love’ was unveiled by the Ministry of Tourism on Peters Lane in downtown Kingston on Friday (September 27).
The mural was created by lead artist, Sheldon Blake, and assistant artist, Rohan Cargill, for Tourism Awareness Week 2024.
It depicts various Jamaican music genres and fruits, highlights craft vendors and popular tourist spots, including Devon House and Rio Grande rafting.
Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, in a message read by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Jennifer Griffith, said the mural will be a visual representation of how tourism brings people together – breaking down barriers, healing divides and celebrating the beauty of diversity.
“It speaks to the enduring strength of Jamaica’s tourism product and our role in promoting peace, both locally and globally. Sheldon’s work reminds us that our history, culture and people are the foundation upon which our thriving tourism industry is built,” the Minister said.
Meanwhile, Ms. Griffith said preliminary figures show that since the start of the year, Jamaica has welcomed some three million stopover and cruise visitors to the island, earning approximately US$3 billion.
“So despite various challenges relating to travel advisories, Hurricane Beryl and tightness in relation to airlift, we are marginally ahead of last year’s performance and remain on track to achieve our target of securing five million visitors and US$5 billion in earnings by 2025,” she shared.
Ms. Griffiths underscored that these remarkable achievements highlight the strength and sustained recovery of the tourism sector, demonstrating once again that Jamaica remains a premier global destination.
“Tourism is not just an economic driver; it is a bridge to peace, understanding and collaboration. Jamaica’s tourism agenda remains steadfast in ensuring that our industry grows, while protecting the natural and cultural treasures that make us truly unique,” Ms. Griffith said.
For her part, Deputy Director of Kingston Creative, Janet Crick, said the mural is a beautiful addition to the more than 100 in the downtown district.
“These streets have now become a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. Spaces which persons once shied away from have now become a viable attraction and a veritable outdoor gathering, offering beautiful and vibrant depictions of our rich Jamaican history, heritage and culture. It is, therefore, most fitting that tourism, one of the country’s largest income earners, should have a mural in this space – paying tribute to the industry and to its importance to our island,” she said.
CONTACT: JUDANA MURPHY
Release: JIS
MORANT BAY, Jamaica, October 6, 2024 – Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, says that a long-term approach to dealing with coffee farm roads must be taken, to propel the nation’s coffee farmers by granting easier access to their farms.
“What I have said to the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA) team [is that] we have to take the coffee road programme out of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) farm road programme, because the small fixes, they help, but we
need some big fixes,” said Mr. Green, at the handover of fertilisers and herbicides to coffee farmers in the Buff Bay Valley area of Portland, recently.
He explained that for the short-term approach using resources already available, at least six roads in the coffee belt will be dealt with every year. In this financial year, this will include roads such as Wakefield to Mahoe and Bangor Ridge to Mahoe in Portland, as well as others in St. Thomas and parts of St. Andrew.
Mr. Green pointed out that he has asked JACRA to work with the National Works Agency and do a comprehensive assessment of how much money it is going to cost to fix the coffee roads once and for all.
“Because one of the things that we know, if we are able to fix access to the farms, you will produce more. And if you produce more, the country will make more money from coffee. So, the reality is that the investment in coffee will pay back for itself. So, we have to fix the infrastructure,” the Minister emphasised.
CONTACT: MICKELLA ANDERSON-GORDON
JIS REGIONAL OFFICE
MORANT BAY
Caribbean News
Turks and Caicos Islands Ranked in Top Ten Caribbean Islands in Condé Nast Traveler’s Reader’s Choice Awards
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS (October 3rd, 2024) –The Turks and Caicos Islands has been voted among the Top Ten Islands in the Caribbean and The Atlantic in the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards 2024.
The Turks and Caicos Islands was ranked seventh in the Caribbean according to the votes.
The results of the voting were announced on October 1st, 2024.
A staggering 575,048 people voted in the annual Condé Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Awards, rating their travel experiences across the globe to offer a comprehensive look at the places they enjoyed and recommend to others.
The Readers’ Choice Awards, with its unparalleled legacy as the travel industry’s longest-running and most prestigious accolades, remain the ultimate symbol and acknowledgment of excellence within the travel sector.
“We are honoured once again to be recognised as a top island within Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards,” said Hon. Josephine
Connolly, Minister of Tourism for the Turks and Caicos Islands. “The Turks and Caicos Islands remain a staple on this prestigious list which speaks to the quality experiences our visitors enjoy. These votes are determined by them which makes it all the more special.”
Experience Turks and Caicos congratulates our hotel partners who have also been voted among the Top Resorts in the Bahamas, Bermuda and The Atlantic:
- Sailrock – #2
- Beach Enclave – #3
- Amanyara – #3
- Ambergris Cay – #9
- Seven Stars Resort – #10
- Wymara Resort and Villas – #11
- Como Parrot Cay – #14
This honour is the latest among the accolades that the Turks and Caicos Islands has received in 2024 such as:
- TripAdvisor Best of the Best Reader’s Choice Awards: Grace Bay, #1 Beach in the Caribbean and Best of the Best for 2024, # 5 among the Top 25 Best of the Best Beaches in the world.
- USA Today 10Best Reader’s Choice Awards – Best Caribbean Beaches: #2 Bambarra Beach, #9 Grace Bay Beach
- World’s 50 Best Beaches: Grace Bay #1 in the Caribbean, #25 in the world
- World Travel Awards: Caribbean’s Leading Beach Destination, Caribbean’s Leading Romance Destination
- World MICE Awards: Caribbean’s Best Incentive Destination (Providenciales)
The 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards are published on Condé Nast Traveler’s website at https://www.cntraveler.com/story/top-islands-readers-choice-awards-2020
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