Brown's Town College Principal: No Link to Councillor Kim Brown Lawrence in $25M Fraud Trial

The principal of Brown's Town Community College testified that the school had no formal relationship with JLP councillor Kim Brown Lawrence. The fraud trial continues Monday.

College Principal Denies Any Ties to Councillor in $25M Fraud Case

Claudeth Haughton, principal of Brown's Town Community College, told the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Wednesday that the institution had never hired or maintained any formal relationship with Jamaica Labour Party councillor Kim Brown Lawrence, Radio Jamaica News Online reports.

Haughton was called as a prosecution witness in the $25 million fraud case involving Brown-Lawrence, former Education Minister Ruel Reid, former Caribbean Maritime University head Fritz Pinnock, and Reid's wife and daughter, Sharen and Sharelle Reid.

The prosecution's questioning centred on the nine-month Customer Engagement Operation Training programme, which ran between 2017 and 2019, and specifically on whether meals were arranged for students enrolled in it.

Haughton, who has served as principal for 11 years since 2015, was asked repeatedly whether Kim Brown Lawrence — councillor for the Brown's Town Division — had been engaged to supply meals either to college students broadly or to those in the programme. Her answer each time was "No."

"We do not provide meals for students," she told the court.

When Justice Sanchia Burrell asked whether that meant the school did not incur that expense, Haughton confirmed: "Yes, your honour."

The principal identified a restaurateur named Carol Brown as the sole operator of the canteen on the college's main campus in Brown's Town, who rented the facility to provide meals to students, staff and visitors. Students wishing to eat were free to purchase from that canteen.

Haughton also confirmed that the school had never engaged Optimum Customer Service Consultancy in connection with the Customer Engagement Operation Training programme.

While she acknowledged knowing Kim Brown Lawrence — introduced to her only as "Kim" on one occasion — Haughton said neither Brown Lawrence nor the other parties raised by the prosecution had been contracted by the school for any reason during the relevant period.

She did allow that food was provided on certain occasions, such as honour roll events, and that the on-campus restaurateur would have been contracted to prepare refreshments at those times.

Cross-Examination

During cross-examination, Brown Lawrence's attorney Senior Smith asked whether, based on the prosecution's questions, Haughton had formed the impression that his client had claimed to be a food supplier for the college or its students. The prosecution objected, but Justice Burrell permitted the question. Haughton said she had formed no such impression.

She further told Smith that while she was familiar with Brown's Town generally and with Brown's Plaza, she had no knowledge of any restaurant operated there by Kim Brown Lawrence and her husband.

On the question of whether Brown Lawrence had used the college's premises for a JLP divisional meeting in early 2018, Haughton said: "I cannot confirm." When Smith pressed her — asking whether she was "not saying it did not happen" — she repeated: "I cannot confirm that, sir."

The principal also confirmed she had never been shown any statement purportedly made by Kim Brown Lawrence by police. She acknowledged a police visit on April 9, 2019, after which she gathered student registration documents for the programme. Those records, she said, were prepared by the school's then bursar, Delroy Palmer, though Palmer would not necessarily have been the first point of contact for programmes and events. Academic queries would have gone to the vice principal, while financial matters would have been handled by the appropriate financial officers.

Haughton additionally noted that the college had in the past allowed both major political parties to host events on its premises, but said any catering for those events would have been arranged by the parties themselves.

The trial is scheduled to resume Monday at 10:00 am, with additional witnesses expected to be called.

Source: Google News JM — Crime