Court rules against McBean in Police Fed ouster
Published:Thursday | June 20, 2019 | 12:15 AMNickoy Wilson/Gleaner Writer
The High Court has ruled against Corporal Arleen McBean, who claimed that Detective Sergeant Patrae Rowe and Inspector Sheldon Gordon illegally removed her from her post as chairman of the Police Federation.
After the claim was filed back in March, the Supreme Court granted an injunction, leading to McBean being reinstated as chairman of the federation, which represents rank-and-file members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
But in a judgment handed down yesterday afternoon, Justice Leighton Pusey made three orders against the former Police Federation chairman.
The court ordered that the claim be struck out against Rowe and Gordon because there is no reasonable claim and against the Police Federation for lack of legal capacity.
McBean was also ordered to pay the defendants’ legal costs.
In a release, the Police Federation said that it was anxious to move forward with its work.
McBean had challenged the January 28 no-confidence motion moved by the federation’s executive to oust her, saying that she was the duly elected chair, arising from the 75th annual joint central conference held in May 2018, and was entitled by law to serve as head of the union for one year.
She also said the decision to install Sheldon Gordon as chairman and Patrae Rowe as general secretary was null and void.
McBean contended that the provisions contained in Section 71(1) of the Constabulary Force Act, which speaks to disciplinary action against members of the federation, were not applicable to her.
Rowe was elected chairman of the union on May 31 after McBean’s term at the helm of the union came to an end.