KINGSTON, Jamaica – Opposition members of the Senate will start returning to the Upper House today, after their boycott over the treatment of one of their colleagues, Marlene Malahoo Forte.

Senator Malahoo Forte was suspended from the Senate on Friday, October 23, after failing to produce a copy of a 2010 letter from the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) offering to sit in Jamaica on certain conditions.

The senator read from the letter during her contribution to the debate on the Bills seeking to replace the JCPC with the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as Jamaica’s final appellate court. But she failed to provide the president with a copy of the letter up to the point of the adjournment and was suspended by the Government majority.

The Government is hoping that discussions between the two sides over the past few days, will lead to an amicable resumption today. However, OBSERVER ONLINE understands that only two the eight Opposition members are likely to turn up, already had prior engagements when the agreement was reached.

But, with Leader of Government Business, Senator Tom Tavares Finson, expected to attend and seek responses to questions he had raised, with President of the Senate Floyd Morris, on the suspension, it is likely that the debate will resume. Opposition Senator Kavan Gayle is also expected to attend.

Balford Henry