MONTEGO BAY, St James — A courtroom scheduling matter experienced a brief hiccup Wednesday as attorney-at-law Michael Hemmings asked for a short delay in the case of Alex Ramjeet, who is charged in connection with lottery scamming paraphernalia, so his client could finalise new bail arrangements.

The case, heard in the St James Parish Court, was slated to move up to the Circuit Court, a step that requires a fresh bail application. But as Hemmings explained, the process has hit a temporary snag.

The person originally intended to stand surety had submitted documents for review at the court office. However, Hemmings told the court it was revealed that the submitted document must be in original form, and the individual was uncertain of its whereabouts. As a result, he was unable to appear and complete the process.

Ramjeet’s mother, according to Hemmings, had tried to find a backup. She reached out to another relative, but that person was both unable to leave work and didn’t have the necessary documents on hand.

“If we should take the risk to commit the matter now, it might not meet the deadline downstairs [court office]… and he will have to stay in custody overnight, and that I do not want,” Hemmings explained, asking the judge for a bit more time to properly arrange the surety.

Presiding judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton agreed, extending Ramjeet’s bail and setting the matter for mention again on June 10.

According to court documents, Ramjeet was arrested on October 10, after police carried out an operation at his home and reportedly discovered a laptop and an iPad 6 containing personal identity information of individuals overseas.

He was later charged with possession of identity information, an offence often tied to Jamaica’s ongoing battle with lottery scamming.