AUDIO: Senate suspends debate on anti-lottery scam bill

Jovan Johnson, Gleaner Writer

The Jamaican Senate today suspended until next Thursday, the debate on legislation to outlaw the lottery scam.

The proposed legislation called the Law Reform Fraudulent Transactions Special Provisions Act 2013 was passed in the Lower House last Tuesday despite public concerns about some of the proposed measures.

Leader of Government Business in the Senate, AJ Nicholson, told his colleagues that the debate is not only about the clauses of the bill, but more so how the Senate intends to approach the scam which threatens Jamaica's image globally.

Alluding to the Christopher 'Dudus' Coke extradition saga, he said Jamaica's image was severely threatened and the then Senate and the public were divided on the approach to be adopted to repel the threat.

Senator Nicholson said it was the duty of the Senate to see whether the lottery scam bill can be improved.

Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate, Arthur Williams said his side was in full support of the suspension of the debate to give consideration to public concerns.

The proposed legislation sets out a long list of offences with which persons could be charged in relation to the lottery scam and other advance fee fraud.

It also prescribes prison terms of up to 25 years for various infringements.

But defence attorney Bert Samuels, has warned that if passed into law in its current form, the legislation could turn the country into a police state as the language in the act is too loose.

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