By Barbara Gayle, Staff ReporterJURORS WHO served in the Home Circuit Court earlier this year are still waiting to be paid the $500 daily allowance due to them.
Calls and visits to the cashier at the Supreme Court have proved futile as some of the 200-odd jurors say they can get no definite time as to when the cheques will be ready.
Michael Cohen, Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Justice, has given his assurance that the problem will be settled soon. He said $1 million has been set aside to clear some of the outstanding sums owing to the jurors.
Mr. Cohen said many cheques had been sent back to the Ministry as they were unclaimed by the jurors.
"Jurors need to be more aggressive in collecting the money," Mr. Cohen added.
But some jurors have said that after they had been to the cashier on more than one occasion they felt "frustrated" and did not bother to go back because "no one can say when the cheques will be ready".
Some of the jurors said the cheques should be ready within two months after they had completed jury duty.
One of the hundreds of jurors affected by the long delay is a 45-year-old self-employed mason and father of two infant children who served in February this year.
"I served at the courthouse in Kingston for three weeks and during that time I was not able to work. I was really looking forward to the $500 daily allowance and was hoping that the cheque would be ready at least four weeks after my tour of duty ended. I would have earned far more than the $500 daily if I had gone to work but I felt that since I was served personally with the summons I had to attend court," he said.
A woman complained that she was summoned to serve in March and had to close her "little grocery shop" during the time she was at court.
"I think the long delay in paying me is grossly unfair," the woman added.
The complaints from the jurors are numerous as they make frequent visits to the courthouse to find out if the cheques have arrived. Some of them are so frustrated that they have decided to abandon their pursuits for the cheques.
Checks at the Supreme Court revealed that the claim forms are prepared at the end of the jurors' tour of duty and sent within a matter of days to the Ministry of Justice. The claim forms indicate the days the jurors served and the amount of money to be paid.
The problem of jurors getting their cheques on time has been an age-old one. Even when they were getting the paltry sum of $5 daily for lunch, many jurors did not receive their cheques. After numerous complaints about the paltry sum, the Government increased the allowance in 1998 from $5 to $500 daily.
There are four criminal courts at the Home Circuit Court and an average of 40 jurors serve each week. A juror is summoned to serve for three weeks but the period can be extended if the case lasts beyond that time.
