POLICE Prosecutor Bharrat Mangru has made an application before Magistrate Fabayo Azore for the court matter involving former Public Service Minister Jennifer Westford and Chief Personnel Officer Margaret Cummings to be transferred to the High Court.

This was because the Magistrates’ Courts’ jurisdiction was subjected to delays and fairness of trial as it relates to executive abuse, which is the complaint of the defence attorney.
During a previous Court appearance, attorney-at-law Neil Boston had argued that the institution of criminal charges against the former minister and her personal assistant had breached the amnesty that was reportedly granted to them by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon during a press conference on June 19 aired on HPGTV.
Boston had related on November 12 that Harmon, during the press conference, stated that if the vehicles were returned the two would be granted amnesty. “They can quietly bring those (state assets) back to the Ministry, in which they came from or to the Office of the President (OP). They can park them outside the gate.”
As such, the attorney stated that seeing that his clients had complied with this requisite, the charges should be dismissed. He also contended that there was enough evidence for the matter to be stayed indefinitely, meaning that the two accused could not be charged for the offence again in the future.
In response to these allegations, Mangru yesterday stated that no amnesty was granted by Minister Harmon for the return of State vehicles. “While the Magistrates’ Courts has jurisdiction to deal with abuse of process, that jurisdiction is limited to delays and fairness of trial as it relates to executive abuse, which is the complaint of the Defence Attorney. Abuse of that nature based on the English Authority can only be dealt with by the High Court. Hence, this Court has no jurisdiction to deal with that kind of executive abuse.”
As such, he requested that the matter be transferred to the High Court.
The matter will continue on January 19, 2016.