A day after the Senate changed its mind about suspending Opposition Senator Marlene Malahoo-Forte it went ahead yesterday and approved a motion debarring her for at least six days.

Senator Malahoo-Forte, who was minister of state in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade under the 2007/2011 Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Administration, was suspended for failing to provide President of the Senate Floyd Morris with a copy of a 2010 letter from the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, offering to sit as an itinerant court in Jamaica if accommodated by the Government.

The Jamaica Observer published details of the letter on Wednesday in its lead story headlined “Privy Council Shocker”, which explained that the UK-based court had signalled its willingness to travel to Jamaica to hear appeals.

The story contradicted suggestions by the Government, in the current debate on future of the Privy Council as Jamaica’s final appellate court, that the Privy Council is inaccessible to most Jamaicans.

In her contribution on Thursday to the continuing debate in the Senate on the three bills seeking to replace the Privy Council as Jamaica’s final appellate court, Senator Malahoo-Forte read from a copy of the letter, which she explained was a response to enquiries initiated by the former Government.

However, Minister of Justice Senator Mark Golding said that since the Observer broke the story, his ministry has been searching for a copy without success.

“This is a letter ostensibly written to the Minister of Justice, and the ministry does not have a copy of that letter, yet it is being presented and read in the Senate by a member of the Opposition. I think it is irregular, and I would like to get a copy of the letter ourselves,” Golding commented on a point of order.

Senator Malahoo-Forte agreed to provide Morris with a copy of the letter, after he made the request.

Yesterday, after the Senate decided to sit beyond its 1:30 pm luncheon break, Senator Malahoo-Forte left the chamber when Government member, Wensworth Skeffery started his contribution to the CCJ. She was still having lunch in the downstairs lounge at Gordon House, when the adjournment came up.

Senator Morris told the Senate that he had sent the Marshall, Kevin Williams, to inform her that he was about to adjourn the sitting, and that he needed the letter.

He said that the senator responded that he should go ahead and adjourn the sitting, as she had already given a commitment to provide him with a copy of the letter. But, Senator Morris said that was not good enough.

“I am not going to be accepting that from the member,” he told the Senate.

“I believe it is disrespectful. I believe that it is contemptuous, especially in light of an individual, a member who has given service in the justice system. I am sure that if that behaviour was conducted in the court, the individual would be cited,” he said, in reference to the fact that Senator Malahoo-Forte is an attorney-at-law.

He then asked Leader of the Senate AJ Nicholson to move the motion for her suspension. Senator Nicholson moved that she be suspended until she produces the letter. The motion was approved.

Senator Tavares-Finson insisted that she should not be suspended without being given a chance to explain why the Senate had not received the letter. But his argument was drowned out as the senators left him standing in the chamber as the audio petered out.

The Government has 13 members in the Senate and the Opposition eight.