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No regrets

JP forced to resign after Sunday Gleaner exposé remains unapologetic

Published:Sunday | April 24, 2022 | 12:08 AMTyrone Reid - Associate Editor – Investigations
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The Sunday Gleaner undercover female reporter was given access to a computer to type her own recommendation letter, which was then signed and stamped by a justice of the peace in Clarendon.
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The Sunday Gleaner undercover female reporter was given access to a computer to type her own recommendation letter, which was then signed and stamped by a justice of the peace in Clarendon.
Clarendon Custos William Shagoury, who relieved Justice of the Peace Ezekiel Anderson of his duties last week, confiscating his seal.
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Clarendon Custos William Shagoury, who relieved Justice of the Peace Ezekiel Anderson of his duties last week, confiscating his seal.
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A justice of the peace (JP), who was forced to resign last week after a Sunday Gleaner exposé into the unlawful and unethical practices of JPs, is unapologetic about his actions that led to him demitting office. Ezekiel Anderson, who was...

A justice of the peace (JP), who was forced to resign last week after a Sunday Gleaner exposé into the unlawful and unethical practices of JPs, is unapologetic about his actions that led to him demitting office.

Ezekiel Anderson, who was commissioned nearly a decade ago in Clarendon, was caught on camera during our undercover investigation just over a week ago making sexually inappropriate comments to a female reporter.

He was among a number of JPs caught breaking the law by charging or accepting money for their services and lying in letters of recommendation they wrote for complete strangers they had met the very same day.

Following the publication of The Sunday Gleaner’s exposé last week, William Shagoury, custos of Clarendon, met with and demanded the resignation of one of the implicated JPs.

The custos said the video recordings were sufficient to demand that the JP return his seal.

“I could see who it was on the tape and picked up what he said … the money and the sexual conversations with the woman [were enough]. The Gleaner brought out a thing; we recognised who it was. The tape was clear. Everybody knew his voice. He was out of line and we asked him for his seal,” Shagoury told The Sunday Gleaner.

The tough-talking custos had a warning for other offending JPs: “The same thing will happen to them if they continue to do what they are doing illegally. There are some other JPs out there and we have to try and clean up the system to make the thing better.”

When asked about punitive action against the other JPs heard but not seen in the video, the custos said: “We never had any conclusive proof of the other persons.”

He advised that Anderson’s name would be removed from the JP register in short order.

PEOPLE GOING TO SUFFER

When contacted, the former JP insisted he was innocent and said he had no regret over his actions.

“I only feel sorrowful for the people who normally get my service. Since my seal has been taken, do you how many people have been wandering over the place to find a JP?” Anderson said to The Sunday Gleaner.

“Some people are just profiling as JP and are not doing the work. Why do you think the justice minister is saying he can’t find how many JPs? Where are they?” he added. “Regret? The only regret I have is just for the people who are going to suffer.”

Anderson said that Shagoury played The Sunday Gleaner’s video for him before demanding the return of his seal.

“The custos has a right to do what he feels to do,” he said.

Anderson disclosed that he had been a justice of the peace for nine years and was appointed to the office after working in central government for 40 years.

He said he became a JP to give back to the community.

“I am a service-oriented person. I have received so much from the people. I saw it as giving back,” he said.

tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com