NEWS IN BRIEF

Attorney-at-law Marc Harrison dies

Marc Harrison, a founding partner in the law firm Harrison & Harrison, died Friday night in the US state of Florida, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer.

Symone Mayhew, KC, who is a litigation consultant for the firm, described Harrison as one of the best commercial lawyers.

“A very lovely person, a good friend. We will all miss him. Gone too soon,” Mayhew said yesterday.

Harrison was admitted to practise law in Jamaica in 1996.

He worked in the commercial division at the Attorney General’s Chambers and was subsequently appointed assistant attorney general. He was responsible for drafting and reviewing contracts to which the Government was a party.

He also represented the Government in international capital market bond issues and domestic and international commercial litigation matters.

Harrison also worked at Jamaica Money Market Brokers Limited before opening his own law firm in 2007 with his sister, Monique Harrison-Beckford.

He is survived by his wife Lisa and their two children; his parents, retired Court of Appeal Judge Karl Harrison and his wife Enid; as well as a sister and other relatives.

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Two killed at Clarendon party after dispute involving cop

Two men are now dead following an alleged dispute involving a policeman on Saturday morning in Frankfield, Clarendon.

They are Jerome Smith, also called ‘Vibez’, and Clayton Pink, also known as ‘Chiney’, both of James Hill in Frankfield.

Reports are that a police constable, who is attached to the Spaldings Police Station, and the men were among patrons at a party when a confrontation between the constable and Pink turned physical about 12:40 a.m.

It is reported that Pink threw a bottle, which struck the cop in the face, injuring him.

The constable reportedly responded by firing two shots at Pink, hitting him.

Smith, who was standing close by, was also hit.

The policeman assisted Smith to the Percy Junor Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Pink was also pronounced dead at the hospital.

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J’can exec among 10 most influential black Britons

Jamaican Paulette Simpson has been ranked at number eight on the Powerlist 2023 published by Powerful Media, which annually names the 100 most influential black Britons and celebrates the achievements of the most influential people of African, African-Caribbean and African-American heritage in the UK.

This is Simpson’s fourth inclusion on the Powerlist, having been ranked on the list in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. However, this is her first showing in the top 10.

Simpson, who is currently the deputy chief executive officer of Jamaica National (JN) Bank UK – the country’s only Caribbean-owned bank and a member company of The JN Group – is well known for her leadership and campaigning activities for the rights of BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) communities.

She also serves as the executive director of the UK’s only black national newspaper, The Voice, which is also owned by The JN Group.

The deputy chair of the Windrush Commemoration Committee in the UK, Simpson was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2020, and was also recognised with a Certificate of Commendation from the UK Home Secretary for outstanding contribution in the field of Home Affairs.

“Serving and uplifting our community has been my passion for many years, and I am absolutely delighted and humbled by the acknowledgement of my contribution in this manner. I am sincerely grateful to everyone who has provided opportunities for me to grow and has supported and guided me throughout this journey,” she stated.

Raised in the central Jamaican parish of Manchester, by her paternal grandmother Violet Simpson, after her parents insisted on a Jamaican upbringing for their daughter, Simpson spent her childhood years in the community of Walderston.

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US eases Venezuela sanctions as opposition talks resume

The Biden administration on Saturday eased some oil sanctions on Venezuela in an effort to support newly restarted negotiations between President Nicolás Maduro’s government and its opposition.

The Treasury Department is allowing Chevron to resume “limited” energy production in Venezuela after years of sanctions that have dramatically curtailed oil and gas profits that have flowed to Maduro’s government.

Earlier this year, the Treasury Department again allowed the California-based Chevron and other US companies to perform basic upkeep of wells it operates jointly with state-run oil giant PDVSA.

Under the new policy, profits from the sale of energy would be directed to paying down debt owed to Chevron, rather than providing profits to PDVSA.

Talks between the Maduro government and the ‘Unitary Platform’ resumed in Mexico City on Saturday after more than a yearlong pause. It remained to be seen whether they would take a different course from previous rounds of negotiations that have not brought relief to the political stalemate in the country.

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Head of Haiti’s police academy killed at training facility

The police in Haiti have launched an investigation following the assassination of the director of the National Police Academy, Commissioner Rigaud Harington, who was shot dead on the grounds of the police training facility on Friday afternoon.

According to police spokesman Garry Desrosiers, Harington was shot inside an official police vehicle as he was about to enter the police academy. Video circulating on social media showed Harington’s body stretched out on the ground.

Desrosiers was unable to provide further details, but this latest incident took place in the capital, where gangs are estimated to control 60 per cent of the city.

For several months, following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, the crisis has deepened in the French-speaking CARICOM member state.

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Former BVI premier pens farewell letter to House

Former British Virgin Islands (BVI) Premier Andrew Fahie has written a farewell letter to his former colleagues of the House of Assembly, urging them to keep fighting for the prosperity of the territory and focus on the areas that unite them as Virgin Islanders.

In the letter, also told his former colleagues in the British overseas territory to create a society where young people can dream of being the next Speaker, clerk, attorney general, director of public prosecutions, elected official, minister of government, premier, governor, or governor general.

Fahie, who has been accused of knowingly travelling interstate to facilitate a business enterprise involving narcotics, also called on his former colleagues to “allow God, through time, to do what only He does best with time — which is to be the only true and fair judge while healing all wounds”.

The former premier also expressed gratitude for the time spent in politics.

The letter, which was addressed to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, serves as Fahie’s official resignation from his elected post as first district representative and retirement from representational politics, effective November 24.

His resignation comes eight months after he was arrested at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport on drug and money laundering charges, which have since been upgraded to include racketeering charges, and just weeks ahead of his next court appearance in the United States that is scheduled to take place in a Florida court on January 9, 2023.