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Former Dominica PM charged with incitement released on bail

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Former Dominica prime minister Edison James was released on EC$50,000 bail on Friday, spending an estimated 20 minutes in a holding cell in a magistrate’s court after he was committed to stand trial in the High Court on a charge of incitement.

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The 80-year-old is charged with “encouraging, persuading, or instigating by words, causing persons to jeopardise the safety or endanger the public peace,” following a United Workers Party (UWP) meeting on February 7,2017, at which calls were made for the resignation of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.

ames, who served as prime minister between 1995-2000, has been at the centre of the alleged incitement case that also includes former opposition leader Lennox Linton and the current UWP leader and economist, Dr Thomson Fontaine.

Magistrate Michael Laudat dismissed a no-case submission that had been filed on behalf of James, who later told a radio audience that “I always expected the magistrate to send this matter to the High Court.

“I always expected him to do that. I said to him directly that I do not believe it is appropriate for a magistrate on contract to handle highly political cases as the case involving me,” James said, adding “he is under pressure and I did not expect him not to send the matter to trial.

“So, I understand the process once it is decided to send it to trial. It could involve committed to jail or a secure place until the trial is actually held. But then there is bail available and the magistrate could have offered bail straight away.

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“I get the distinct impression that he was bent on sending me to jail…which he did,” James said, adding “I don’t know why…

“I have never been in a cell before, but life goes on,” he said noting that the police “felt a way” in accompanying him to the holding cell.

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“He asked me to sit not in the cell in the general area and I think he was still struggling how he is going to put me in the cell and then he came back and said you have to go so, open the door, clang, clang, clang, and I went inside,” the former prime minister said, before he was later removed and allowed to sit in another area awaiting the bail hearing.

“Laudat came there this morning pre-determined to put me in the cell and he did everything to make sure that happened,” James said, adding “it’s my opinion, I may be wrong, he was acting either on direct instructions or his understanding is that is what the power must be…”

Linton, whose own trial comes up in the magistrate court next week, said that he was surprised at the decision of the magistrate given that James has been before the court since 2017 and has never ever missed a hearing.

“Totally and absolutely obedient to the court. He has never been asked to come to court and not been there. So there is no record, no history, no practise of Mr James not showing up at court….

“This thing is so simple you wonder why Mr James was put in the embarrassment of being placed in a cell in the first place,” he added.

The UWP has planned a protest for February 25 and both Linton and James have urged supporters to come in their numbers.

“I am appealing to Dominicans let us understand where we are. Today it is me. It will be you tomorrow. Stop this thing now. There is a call for people to be out on the 25th ….we don’t have six billion [people], but let us get close to that as possible.

“This is not a matter of we fighting down Skerrit …we are fighting for Dominica,” James added.

The prosecution in the cases against the opposition politicians are led by the Trinidad-based criminal attorneys Israel Khan and Keith Scotland.

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REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)

 

OECS MSME Guarantee Facility Project

Loan No.: IDA-62670, IDA-62660, IDA-62640, IBRD-88830, IDA-62650

Assignment Title: Senior Operating Officer (SOO)

Reference No. KN-ECPCGC-207852-CS-INDV

 

The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have received financing in the amount of US$10 million equivalent from the World Bank towards the cost of establishing a partial credit guarantee scheme, and they intend to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, and consulting services to be procured under this project. 

The consultant will serve as the “Senior Operating Officer (SOO)” for the ECPCGC and should possess extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to Micro, small and medium-sized businesses, knowledge of the internal control processes necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk mitigation procedures. The ideal candidate should possess an Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Accounting, Banking or related field, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in lending, inclusive of MSME lending. The initial employment period will be for two years on a contractual basis. Renewal of the contract will be subject to a performance evaluation at the end of the contractual period. The assignment is expected to begin on September 30th, 2021.  The consultant will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the ECPCGC.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be viewed by following the attached link below. 

 

https://bit.ly/3iVannm

 

The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) now invites eligible “Consultants” to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have:

  • An Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Finance, Banking or related field; and
  • Minimum of 5 years’ experience in MSME lending. Applicants should also have:
  • The ability to design and implement risk management procedures 
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to small and medium-sized businesses
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME banking operations
  • Knowledge of the internal controls necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk management procedures
  • Experience developing and presenting information in public, including responding to questions in real-time
  • Experience lending to MSMEs located in the ECCU
  • Knowledge of marketing and communicating with the MSME sector
  • Ability to draft procedures to be used in a lending operation
  • Familiarity with the mechanics of a loan guarantee program
  • Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills, and
  • Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office suite.

The attention of interested Individual Consultants is drawn to Section III, Paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers July 2016, [revised November 2017] (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Approved Selection Method for Individual Consultants set out in the clause 7.34 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers. 

 

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0800 to 1700 hours:

Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation

Brid Rock, Basseterre,

St. Kitts.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form by e-mail by August 11th, 2021, to [email protected]

 

For further information, please contact:

Carmen Gomez-Trigg                                                            Bernard Thomas

Chief Executive Officer                                                          Chief Financial Officer

Tel: 868-620-8144                                                                  Tel: 869-765-2385

Email: [email protected]                                          [email protected]