Superintendent Harry Daley - File

Senior cop jailed

ONE OF THE island's best-known crime fighters, Superintendent Harry Daley, is spending the weekend behind bars at the Horizon Remand Centre and could spend many more days in custody if he is found guilty of corruption charges.

Daley, dubbed 'Bungles' on the streets, was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with breaches of the Corruption Prevention Act. He was taken to the Horizon facility where he spent the night being guarded by a team of soldiers.

Since the start of this year when a major clampdown began, more than 50 members of the force have been charged with breaches of the Corruption Prevention Act. But Daley, a tough street cop who made his reputation in problem areas such as west Kingston and Spanish Town, St Catherine, is the most senior.

Sting operation

According to the Constabulary Communication Network (CCN), members of the Anti-Corruption Branch conducted a sting operation in downtown Kingston Thursday and arrested Daley. However, the CCN did not provide any details of the operation or the actions which led to Daley's arrest.

CCN reported that the head of the Anti-Corruption Branch, Assistant Commissioner Justin Felice, said the investigation was ongoing and no further comment would be made.

Felice was equally tight-lipped when he spoke with The Gleaner, refusing to add anything to the two-paragraph release from the communication unit.

But sources close to the investigation say Daley was held after he was seen receiving money which had been marked and recorded by the police Thursday. This did not seem to impress his attorney, Valerie Neita-Robertson, who argued that there was a grand set-up.

Allegations

Neita-Robertson expressed concern about the treatment being meted out to her client, who is a senior member of the police force. She said up to late Thursday, she was still trying to find out the allegations against Daley.

"We are really concerned that we don't know what the allegations are against our client and I am even more concerned about it because a statement was issued to the media by ACP Felice even before we had been told what the matter is about," she said.

Head of the Police Officers' Association, Superintendent Michael James, was cautious with his comments.

James said the association, which represents members of the force above the rank of inspector, was awaiting additional in-formation on the arrest of one of its members.

Principals' group pulls out of talks with PM

The Association of Principals and Vice-Principals Thursday pulled out of round-table talks with Prime Minister Bruce Golding and Minister of Education Andrew Holness, following comments made by the prime minister over auxiliary fees on his radio call-in programme Wednesday night.

"If we have any case where a child is kept out of school, denied admission to school, or sent home from school because they can't pay the auxiliary fees, well, bangarang!" Golding said.

Tension

Michael Stewart, president of the association, criticised the statement, calling it an attack on the integrity of the principals. He said Golding's utterance had further ignited tensions with the school administrators represented by the organisation, who were still reeling from his statement in Parliament last week that some schools were extorting money from students through the system of auxiliary fees.

Spencer, co-accused for court Sept 15

Former energy and commerce junior minister Kern Spencer and his two co-accused in the Cuban light-bulb saga will face trial on some of the original charges on September 15.

However, Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn, QC, told The Gleaner that she wanted to make it abundantly clear that no charges had been dropped against the three accused.

Conspiracy

Spencer, Colleen Wright and businessman Rodney Chin are accused of conspiracy to defraud, and breaches of the Money Laundering and Corruption Prevention acts.

The Cuban light-bulb programme cost the Jamaican Government more than $276 million to distribute four million free bulbs.

Phillips dismisses claims of vote buying

People's National Party (PNP) Vice-President Dr Peter Phillips has lashed out against claims of vote buying as his campaign team gears up to challenge Portia Simpson Miller for the party presidency at its annual conference in September.

Phillips was addressing party supporters at York Town Primary School during a divisional conference in Clarendon on Wednesday night.

Buckley new head of Press Association of Jamaica

Byron Buckley on Sunday ended Desmond Richards' five-year reign as president of the 65-year-old Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ).

The 20-year media veteran scored a massive victory at the association's annual general meeting held at the PAJ's St Andrew headquarters. Buckley, an associate editor at The Gleaner, polled 139 votes to Richards' 12. Richards, the Sunday Herald's boss, had served five successive terms.

New administration

In his response to the victory, Buckley said he was happy to have been given the mandate and earmarked several projects which his new administration would undertake.

"I have work to do to execute the mandate and people have raised many issues, such as the need for training," he said. "Around mid-September, we will be rolling out training and my emphasis will be on that."