KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Chairman of the Jamaica Police Federation, Corporal Rohan James, on Thursday, lost his bid to be reinstated in his job in the police force after he was forbidden for comments made at a funeral.
Supreme Court Judge Justice Carolyn Tie Powell ruled in favor of arguments advanced by Assistant Commissioner of Police Andrew Lewis and his attorney, Peter Champagnie.
However, the judge ruled that James’ disciplinary hearing should be put on hold pending his pursuit of judicial review of his interdiction.
James will also be paid 99 percent of his salary instead of the initial 75 percent he was offered.
However, Hugh Wildman, James’ attorney, also requested that the judge recuse herself from making any case management orders in the application as there would be a conflict of interest if she dealt with the matter.
He pointed out that the judge had previously represented James in a civil case when he was at a police station in downtown Kingston when she was an attorney at the Attorney General’s Chambers.
Champagnie and his team argued that the timing of the application for the judge to recuse herself was belated, and the alleged association needed more specificity and happened more than 20 years ago. But the judge ruled that she would not recuse herself as she saw no basis for doing so in law or otherwise.
Wildman has signaled that he will appeal.
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