The People’s National Party (PNP) is dismayed by public utterances from Senator Tom Tavares-Finson, who has reportedly applied to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for a fiat to prosecute Mayor Norman Scott.

The PNP, in a statement on Saturday (October 18), said it was improper for a ‘JLP operative’, such as Tavares-Finson, to prosecute an opposing political officer.

“It is widely known that Senator Tavares-Finson is a political operative aligned with the ruling JLP and currently serves as a JLP-appointed senator, president of the Senate, and JLP-nominated commissioner of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ). Against this background, it is wholly improper for a known political operative of the JLP to be granted a fiat to prosecute a political officer aligned with the opposing party,” contended the opposition.

“The People’s National Party maintains that the right to a fair trial is a universal human right that ensures justice is served based on evidence, not political considerations. A fair trial requires an impartial and disinterested prosecutor,” it continued.

Scott, a prominent PNP stalwart and chairman of the St Catherine Municipal Corporation, pleaded not guilty in the St Elizabeth Parish Court during his first appearance on October 13.

The Spanish Town mayor is at the centre of an alleged altercation with a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) worker during voting proceedings for the September 3 general elections.

In her remarks, Opposition Spokesperson on Justice, Zuleika Jess, argued that “it is a denial of justice to deprive an accused individual of basic fairness and impartiality”.

“Prosecutors play an important role in preserving public trust in the justice system due to their unique role as ministers of justice. Prosecutors are asked to exercise substantial discretion and are required to operate in a disinterested way. The public’s perception that the justice system
operates in an unbiased manner is crucial to the administration of justice.”

“Where the process is tainted by real or reasonably perceived prejudices, the public’s trust in the system is eroded. As often noted, both the appearance and reality of impartial justice are necessary to ensure public legitimacy of judicial outcomes and the rule of law,” she added.

The PNP called for due respect for the rights of all parties concerned and emphasised that true democracy demands impartiality, restraint, and equal protection of rights, not selective justice.

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