Dean Jones
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Attorney Bert Samuels
By Kimone Witter
A bailiff order is before the Supreme Court in which lawyers for Constantine Bogle are seeking to recover outstanding monies owed by councillor candidate for the Trinityville Division Dean Jones.
In 2018, Chief Justice Bryan Sykes ruled that Mr. Jones, who was declared the Jamaica Labour Party Councillor for the Yallahs Division after the November 2016 Local Government Election, was not eligible to sit in that capacity in the St. Thomas Municipal Corporation.
Mr. Bogle, who ran on the People's National Party's ticket against Mr. Jones in the Yallahs Division in the 2016 polls, had filed an election petition challenging the decision to install Mr. Jones as councillor.
Justice Sykes ruled that Mr. Jones was employed as a civil servant at the time of his election as a councillor, which was not allowed under the laws governing the polls.
Mr. Jones was ordered by the court to pay legal fees and damages amounting to $15,675,377.19.
According to one of Mr. Bogle's attorneys, Bert Samuels, four years after the 2020 court order, the majority of the money has not been paid.
"There have been less than a million-plus paid towards that. As it stands, there's outstanding over $14 million in costs to be paid by the first respondent, Dean Jones, to the successful party in that case, Constantine Bogle," said the attorney.
Councillor for the White Horses Division Hubert Williams has argued that the failure of Mr. Jones to complete the payment to Mr. Bogle could disqualify him from sitting in the Municipal Corporation, if he is successful in the February 26 poll.
But Mr. Samuels said the 2016 case should not affect Mr. Jones' candidacy.
"This issue of the outstanding amount in the past case is a separate issue from his eligibility to become nominated as a local government representative. It has nothing to do with a current local government election. Once he is qualified - and I can't say whether he's not or he is - but once he's qualified, he can go forward and become a candidate."
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