Former senator charged with environmental offences

Former government Senator Norman Grant is currently before the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court answering to allegations of environmental breaches.

Grant, the CEO and managing director of the Mavis Bank Coffee Factory, has been accused of breaching the Natural Resources Conservation Act. He has been charged with unlawfully constructing and operating a waste treatment facility without the requisite environmental licence, unlawfully undertaking a development, as well as construction and operation of an industrial wastewater treatment facility without permit.

The complainant in the matter is the National Environment and Planning Agency. The agency posited that on March 2, an inspection was carried out at the Mavis Bank Coffee Factory, where effluent was noticed flowing from the premises. The complainant noted that an odour of rotten organic matter, later identified to be rotten coffee pulp, was also seen on the property.

The matter, which was heard before presiding Judge Carlo Mason, was adjourned until April 2, 2024, to facilitate file completion. Grant is represented by attorney-at-law Pierre Rodgers.

- T.T.