PORTMORE, St Catherine:

A group of residents from Portmore, St Catherine, is suing the municipal council to recover money it claimed was raised through a telethon in 2004.

The controversy over the money has been deepening for several months now since the issue was discussed during a heated meeting of the council.

The Portmore Municipal Support Committee has brought the suit against the council to recover $500,000 of the $1 million that was raised.

The Mayor's Fund

Former Mayor George Lee, who is part of the group, said that at the time of the telethon the Portmore Municipal Support Committee did not have an account. He said on the request of the committee, the council agreed to have the donations deposited in the Mayor's Fund.

Lee said of $1 million, $170,000 was absorbed in expenses to stage the event. Another $300,000 was in pledges from the Portmore Municipal Council, over which he presided at the time.

But, Lee said, there was a change in administration before the funds were handed over and the group has now given up on collecting it.

However, he insisted that about $500,000 was raised in donations and the Portmore Municipal Support Committee is demanding it to fund the construction of a golden age home.

"In court we will prove that the money was collected by the council and there has been a cover-up to prevent payment," he said.

Regrettable

The sitting mayor, Keith Hinds said he has ordered an audit into the Mayor's Fund. He also said the lawsuit was regrettable.

"It doesn't look good, it doesn't smell right and it doesn't feel proper," he said.

Hinds said his initial check revealed that only $100,000 was realised through the telethon and the council has no intention of turning it over to the Portmore Municipal Support Committee because the funds were being held in trust.

He said the council has the capacity to undertake the project to build a golden age home in Portmore and it will do just that when the funds become available.