By McPherse Thompson, Staff ReporterOFFICIALS OF both Supreme Ventures and the Jamaica Lottery Company (JLC) appear to be satisfied with the persons recently selected by the Ministry of Finance and Planning to direct the affairs of the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC).
According to Roger Williams, vice-president of Supreme Ventures, "we don't see any reason not to be optimistic about the board's ability to discharge its responsibility in regulating the market in an effective manner."
And Sonia Davidson, the JLC's public relations and promotions manager, said "the matter hasn't come up for discussion" (among JLC's officers), but "we expect the board to do what it has been mandated to do."
Last week, State Minister for Finance, Fitz Jackson, announced the appointment of a new BGLC board, to be chaired by Walter Scott, an attorney-at-law. Other members of the board are Clive Nicholas, Director-General of Tax Administration; Paul Davis, Deputy Commissioner of the Revenue Protection Division (RPD); Hugh Reid, accountant; Lescelles Perry, labour relations consultant; Lorna Green and Dorothy Miller, both businesswomen.
The tenure of the new board will be for three years, starting January 1, 2003.
Mr. Williams said Supreme Ventures had no reason to believe there would be any dramatic change in its relationship with the BGLC, whose new board members, "from what is said and described of them, we are confident will be able to succeed in whatever they do."
The former board, chaired by Howard Mollison, was asked to resign amid recent staff controversies which saw two persons being relieved of their jobs and the National Workers Union (NWU), which represents the workers, charging unfair dismissals.
Both Patrick Hall, who was chief accountant at the Commission, and Charles Ganga Singh, an attorney-at-law who served as the BGLC's legal
officer, were relieved of their duties and this created a rift
with the old board.
Mr. Hall subsequently brought a motion before the Judicial Review Court asking it to bar the Commission from filling the post of chief accountant until the matter was heard and determined.
However, the Court dismissed the matter, having upheld a
preliminary point by Dennis Morrison, Q.C., who represented the Commission, that the case should not be brought before the Judicial Review Court because it did not involve any issue of public law, and the Commission did not breach any such law.
Mr. Ganga Singh, who was relieved of his position on November 25, has since filed a summons in the Supreme Court seeking an injunction to bar the Commission from filling his post. He is also seeking leave to take his case to the Judicial Review Court. Mr. Ganga Singh is alleging that the Commission committed a breach of natural justice when he was fired.
