Claims probe ends in March

The Office of the Public Defender has set the end of March as the deadline to complete its probe into claims for compensation by residents of west Kingston.

With more than 2,500 residents already compensated by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the public defender still has some 700 initial claims on his desk and a further 7,000 claims which were submitted after the labour and social security ministry made its payment. "We are determined to ensure that there is no duplication of payments," Public Defender Earl Witter told The Gleaner yesterday.

He said the ministry has provided his office with a list of the persons who have already been paid and, once they have been adequately compensated, they would not get any more money.

Witter said his investigation has been moving at its current pace because the investigators have to confirm the claims by residents who say their property was damaged.

The public defender is also checking claims of extrajudicial killings by members of the security forces, physical injuries allegedly at the hands of the police and claims that persons were detained in contravention of the emergency regulations or the law in general.