House Speaker’s trial set for February 21

The illegal dumping case against House Speaker Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert and her two co-accused is set for trial on February 21 next year in the St Ann Parish Court.

Dalrymple-Philibert, 66, who is also Member of Parliament for South Trelawny, her son, Giovanni Philibert, 30, and her gardener, Simon Sanchez, 42, appeared in the St Ann Parish Court yesterday. They are charged for allegedly dumping garbage at the side of the road near Salem in St Ann on August 15.

Yesterday, defence lawyers Peter Champagnie and Tom Tavares-Finson argued that their client should not have been charged as they were told by the police to take up the garbage, which they did, and returned it to the pickup. The lawyers applied to have the charges dropped, however ,this was denied. The defence further argued that the option of the accused being ticketed instead of being hauled before the court should have been utilised.

The prosecution is to collect an outstanding statement from the St Ann Municipal Corporation before the trial date.