No connection between JLP councillor and Brown’s Town Community College, says witness

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Principal of Brown’s Town Community College, Claudeth Haughton testified Wednesday that the school had never hired or had any formal relationship with Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) councillor Kim Brown Lawrence. Haughton was called by the prosecution at the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court to give evidence in the $25 million fraud case of Brown-Lawrence, former Education Minister Ruel Reid, former head of the Caribbean Maritime University Fritz Pinnock and Reid’s wife and daughter, Sharen and Sharelle Reid. Haughton shared information on the operations of the school, with the prosecution focusing specifically on whether lunches were provided for certain students engaged in the nine-month-long Customer Engagement Operation Training programme.

The principal, who has served in the capacity for 11 years, since 2015, addressed the period of time from 2017 to 2019. The prosecution asked a series of questions, including whether during the period the school offered the course alongside a Joseph Martin, or engaged him to provide meals. The prosecution also asked if Kim Brown Lawrence, who is the councillor for the Brown’s Town Division, was engaged to provide meals for the Brown’s Town Community College students, in general or those enrolled in the programme, to which the witness repeatedly responded “No.” She added, “We do not provide meals for students”.

When asked by Justice Sanchia Burrell if this meant the school did not undertake the expense, Haughton responded, “Yes, your honour.” The prosecution also asked how students would have obtained meals, to which she responded that students were at liberty to purchase meals from a restaurateur which she identified as operated by a Carol Brown, who rented the canteen on the college’s main campus in Brown’s Town to provide meals to students, staff and visitors. Similarly, the witness was asked if the school had ever engaged Optimum Customer Service Consultancy in the Customer Engagement Operation Training programme to which she responded it had not. While she indicated she knew Kim Brown Lawrence, who was introduced to her only as 'Kim' on one other occasion, Haughton indicated that neither she nor any of the other two parties mentioned during questioning by the prosecution, had been contracted by the school for any reason during the period.

Haughton admitted that there were certain occasions where …