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  • ‘Jamaica didn’t call’: Jaydon Hibbert says Turkey rebuilt him after injury setback

    ‘Jamaica didn’t call’: Jaydon Hibbert says Turkey rebuilt him after injury setback

    Fresh off a stunning 17.02-meter jump on his comeback trail at the Rome Diamond League, rising triple jump star Jaydon Hibbert has opened up about his turbulent journey back to elite competition, revealing how Turkey stepped in to rebuild his shattered mental and emotional health after a career-threatening injury – while leveling sharp criticism at Jamaican sporting leadership for abandoning him during his darkest days.

    The 21-year-old, who originally hails from Jamaica, made the explosive remarks in an exclusive interview with *The Inside Lane* following his season-opening performance, a landmark result that marked his first major competition back after a debilitating bone injury forced him to the sidelines following the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

    In the wake of his surprise long jump, Hibbert said he was still processing the emotion of his return: “My mind is so full right now. I’m lost for words, but I’m feeling so good. I am so excited, I’m so happy, I’m so thankful to God.”

    The young athlete shared that he only restarted structured training in February of this year, and is still operating under strict medical limits as he works his way back to full competitive fitness. “I’ve been dreaming of hitting the 17-meter mark since I started training back in February,” he said. “But, oh my gosh, 17.02 meters on a short approach? And I’m not even in full competition shape yet? It’s going to be crazy when I hit peak form later this year.”

    Hibbert said he was encouraged by how his body held up across six rounds of competition in Rome. “My knee’s not hurting. I’m just cramping up, that’s why I didn’t finish my last jump. My body and my nervous system are still shaken up – I haven’t done this level of competition in a year, you know?”

    He recalled that he started the event cautiously, holding back out of fear of re-injury, before finding the confidence to attack the runway on his key jump. “The first three jumps, I was scared… I wasn’t running free. I was passive coming to the takeoff board,” he explained. “Then I thought, you know what? Let me just run, just go for it, nothing bad is going to happen.” Following his Rome performance, Hibbert says he is already setting his sights on a bigger mark at next week’s Diamond League meet in Oslo.

    The triple jumper says his successful return to competition would not have been possible without the support he received after switching his athletic allegiance to Turkey, a decision he says was directly driven by the lack of support he got from Jamaican officials after his injury. “This is the right space for me,” he said.

    Hibbert claimed that after he sustained his injury, not a single member of Jamaica’s senior sporting leadership reached out to check on his wellbeing. “There were times when I had nobody to talk to. Nobody checked in,” he said. “Especially since I got injured through negligence, the fact that no one even tried to reach out says it all. And when I say no one, you know who I’m speaking about. The only call I got was last year, when they wanted me to sign up for the Olympic trials. They just said, ‘Mr Hibbert, we don’t see your registration.’ I had to ask them, bro, do you even care if I’m healthy enough to even come to the trials? That just proves they can reach out when they want something – they just didn’t care when I needed help.”

    In stark contrast to the neglect he says he faced in Jamaica, Hibbert explained that Turkey centered his recovery first on mending his mental health, the most critical step he needed to get back on track. “Turkey, they’re big on sports psychology, that was the very first step they took in my recovery. It was all about psychology first,” he said.

    He revealed that the first two weeks of his rehabilitation program were almost entirely dedicated to daily therapy sessions, twice a day. “For two weeks, twice a day, I just got to spill everything out. I cried, I let it all out,” he said. “One time the therapist didn’t even understand what I was saying because I switched to Patois, but that didn’t matter. I just needed to get it all out – it was so depressing before that. Now I’m just in a better space.”

    Hibbert said the support system built by his new national federation has made him feel valued and supported for the first time since his injury. “They prioritize my recovery, and it really feels like family. It’s a structure I can depend on when things get hard, because not every day is going to be happy and easy, you know? I’m just so thankful for them, thankful that God put them in my life to reignite my career.”

    While he remains grateful to Jamaica for identifying his talent and nurturing his early career, Hibbert says the country’s sporting leadership failed him completely when he needed support the most. “I’m thankful to Jamaica too because they’re the ones who identified my talent and built me up initially,” he said. “But I’d be lying if I said the leaders of the sporting establishment there didn’t break me. So I’m thankful to Turkey for rebuilding me. And it’s just up from here.”

  • Dominican mango exports set to reach 10 million boxes this year

    Dominican mango exports set to reach 10 million boxes this year

    BANÍ, Dominican Republic — The Dominican Republic’s mango export industry, one of the nation’s most valuable agricultural sectors, is poised for substantial expansion, with a projected target of nearly 10 million export boxes by 2026, according to the country’s Minister of Agriculture Francisco Oliverio Espaillat. Espaillat shared the ambitious growth forecast during the opening ceremony of the annual Expo Mango 2026, held in Baní, the nation’s newly designated Mango Capital. The minister attributed the sector’s consistent upward trajectory to the collaborative effort of independent producers, targeted government investment, widespread adoption of new agricultural technologies, and ongoing industry-wide modernization projects. Beyond its direct financial contribution, Espaillat emphasized that the mango industry delivers far-reaching benefits to the Dominican economy: it brings in critical foreign exchange, creates tens of thousands of stable jobs across the supply chain, revitalizes rural communities by supporting local livelihoods, and fuels broad-based national economic development. Senior industry officials have noted that Dominican mangoes have earned growing global acclaim in recent years, evolving from a regional commodity to a globally recognized symbol of Dominican agricultural excellence and a strong national brand in competitive international fresh produce markets. Event organizers released updated 2025 industry data confirming the sector’s rapid expansion: the country now boasts more than 150,000 acres dedicated to mango cultivation, supports over 2,100 active producers, and saw total exports exceed 34 million kilograms in 2025. Industry leaders also highlighted untapped growth opportunities in key high-demand markets, most notably the United States. These opportunities have been unlocked by targeted investments in modern processing facilities and upgraded export infrastructure, which have reduced supply chain bottlenecks and improved product quality for international consumers. Expo Mango 2026 serves as a central gathering place for producers, exporters, private sector business leaders, and government policymakers to highlight the industry’s recent achievements and map out strategies for future growth. The event also aligns with Baní’s ongoing efforts to cement its status as the heart of the Dominican mango industry, following recent national legislation that officially named the city the Dominican Republic’s Mango Capital.

  • Why concerns over forced labor could affect Dominican Republic exports

    Why concerns over forced labor could affect Dominican Republic exports

    The Caribbean nation of the Dominican Republic has been drawn into growing U.S. trade oversight, after the Office of the United States Trade Representative added it to a high-stakes probe evaluating if global trading partners are adequately cracking down on forced labor in cross-border supply chains. This inquiry carries tangible risks: nations found lacking in their labor regulation enforcement could face punitive additional tariffs on their goods exported to the United States, a outcome that has sparked widespread anxiety across the Dominican Republic’s export-focused commercial ecosystem. The stakes of this review cannot be overstated given the United States’ long-standing role as the Dominican Republic’s largest single trading partner. Provisional trade data for 2025 shows the country hit a new export milestone, shipping out a total of $14.6 billion in goods. Nearly half of that total – $7.1 billion, equal to 48.6% of all exports – was bound for U.S. consumers and businesses. The potential economic impact is even more pronounced for the Dominican Republic’s network of free trade zones, which alone contributed more than $6.3 billion in U.S.-bound exports last year. These zones are a foundational pillar of the country’s economy, driving widespread job creation, attracting critical foreign direct investment, and fueling consistent national economic growth. Should U.S. authorities ultimately enforce tariffs aligned with the penalties proposed for other nations currently under review, Dominican exporters could see hundreds of millions of dollars in extra annual operating costs. Key export sectors that would bear the brunt of these new costs include medical device manufacturing, pharmaceutical production, electronics assembly, textile and apparel production, and tobacco product exports. Yet for all the near-term risks the investigation creates, it also opens unexpected strategic opportunities for the Dominican Republic. The same probe that threatens tariffs on the Caribbean nation could also lead to new tariffs on major Asian manufacturing competitors, a shift that would accelerate the growing nearshoring trend that has seen U.S. companies move production closer to the North American mainland. With its prime geographic location adjacent to North America, preferential trade access under the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA), and a mature, well-developed free trade zone infrastructure, the Dominican Republic is uniquely positioned to capture new manufacturing investment and operations from companies looking to reduce their reliance on Asian supply chains. U.S. officials have confirmed the investigation is on track to reach a final conclusion within the coming weeks. As the outcome nears, labor compliance standards and end-to-end supply chain traceability have become make-or-break factors for Dominican exporters seeking to retain unobstructed access to the lucrative U.S. market.

  • Father and son killed in Manchester

    Father and son killed in Manchester

    MANCHESTER, JAMAICA – Law enforcement investigators spent hours working through the night into early Friday, carefully documenting and processing the site of a brutal double homicide that claimed the lives of a father and his son in the New Forest district of southwestern Jamaica’s Manchester parish.

    Unnamed law enforcement sources familiar with the preliminary investigation confirmed that the two victims were targeted in a premeditated shooting close to their family residence in the quiet south Manchester community. Initial evidence collected at the scene indicates that the pair had their hands bound by their attackers before being gunned down in the incident, which unfolded just around midnight Thursday.

    So far, local authorities have only publicly released the stage name of one victim, who was known in local circles by the artist alias Fido. The identities of both victims have not been fully released to the public as police continue working to notify all next of kin and complete preliminary procedural steps.

    As of the latest update, investigators have not uncovered a definitive motive for the killing. No suspects have been taken into custody in connection with the attack, and police are urging any members of the public with information that could advance the investigation to come forward confidentially.

    The violence comes amid a worrying upward trend in homicides across the parish this year. Jamaica Constabulary Force data shows that between January 1 and May 31 of this year, Manchester recorded 14 murders, a 75 percent jump from the eight murders reported in the same five-month period last year. Friday’s double homicide pushes the total number of murder victims in Manchester to 16 since the calendar year began, deepening concerns over rising violent crime in the region.

    Reporting by Kasey Williams

  • Retired Justice Ian Forte passes away

    Retired Justice Ian Forte passes away

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — One of Jamaica’s most respected legal figures, retired Justice Ian Xavier Forte, has passed away. The distinguished former head of the country’s Court of Appeal, who was married to current public figure Marlene Malahoo Forte, died at his private residence in the early hours of Friday. He was 89 years old at the time of his death.

    Justice Forte built a decades-long legacy of public service through the upper echelons of Jamaica’s judicial system, leaving an indelible mark on the country’s legal landscape. His journey to the apex of the judiciary began in January 1988, when he was appointed to the bench as an appellate judge. Over years of consistent, principled service, he climbed the ranks to assume the role of president of the Court of Appeal, a position he held with distinction until he stepped down from official judicial duties in 2005. In recognition of his extraordinary contributions to Jamaica’s justice system, he was bestowed with one of the country’s highest honors: the Order of Jamaica.

    His judicial expertise extended far beyond Jamaica’s borders, earning him international recognition across the Caribbean. He accepted additional appellate judge appointments in two neighboring Caribbean territories, the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands, where he applied his decades of legal knowledge to support regional judicial processes. Closer to home, he also served his local community as a Justice of the Peace for the parish of Kingston, continuing his commitment to public service outside of formal appellate work.

    Away from the courtroom, Justice Forte was a devout follower of the Roman Catholic faith, whose personal values guided both his professional and private life. In addition to his marriage to Marlene Malahoo Forte, he raised three children from his first marriage to Margaret, who predeceased him.

    As of Friday’s announcement, officials have not released further details regarding the circumstances surrounding his death, leaving the public awaiting additional information as tributes begin to pour in for the late legal luminary.

  • Dominican Republic and Belgium hold first Bilateral Political Consultations Meeting

    Dominican Republic and Belgium hold first Bilateral Political Consultations Meeting

    BRUSSELS, Belgium — More than 130 years after establishing formal diplomatic ties, the Dominican Republic and the Kingdom of Belgium have marked a defining milestone in their cross-Atlantic relationship: their first-ever Bilateral Political Consultations Meeting. Held at Brussels’ iconic Egmont Palace, the high-level gathering aligned with a series of cultural and diplomatic events, including the launch of the first Dominican Week across Belgium and the Netherlands, creating a dynamic backdrop for deepening bilateral engagement.

    Senior diplomatic and government delegations from both nations converged at the talks, where leaders structured conversations around advancing partnership across a diverse slate of priority sectors. Discussions spanned political coordination, expanded bilateral trade opportunities, sustainable agribusiness development, expanded academic collaboration between higher education institutions, and inclusive economic growth strategies. Beyond bilateral priorities, the two sides also held constructive exchanges on pressing regional and global multilateral issues, reaffirming their shared belief that open dialogue is the foundation for solving cross-border challenges.

    Security cooperation emerged as a central focus of the consultations, with both delegations highlighting tangible progress in ongoing negotiations covering three key areas: joint police training and information sharing, maritime security to counter transnational organized crime, and streamlined customs cooperation to facilitate legitimate trade while boosting border security. Participants also spotlighted a landmark agreement already in motion: the memorandum of understanding signed between the Dominican National Police and Belgian Federal Police back in April 2026, which lays the groundwork for direct operational cooperation between the two nations’ law enforcement agencies.

    As the consultations drew to a close, official representatives from both the Dominican Republic and Belgium issued statements voicing unanimous satisfaction with the meeting’s outcomes. Both sides reaffirmed their long-term commitment to expanding and strengthening bilateral ties, anchored in shared democratic values, respect for international law, and unwavering support for a rules-based multilateral global order. The landmark meeting sets the stage for more targeted, impactful collaboration between the two nations in the years ahead, turning a decades-long diplomatic relationship into a dynamic modern partnership.

  • Public Health reports significant decline in disease incidence

    Public Health reports significant decline in disease incidence

    Santo Domingo – The Dominican Republic has held steady, effective epidemiological control across the first 20 weeks of 2026, with public health authorities announcing unprecedented declines in multiple high-priority infectious diseases. The progress is credited to targeted prevention and widespread surveillance systems rolled out across every region of the country, according to an official announcement from the nation’s Ministry of Public Health.

    Local health directorates at both the provincial and area level have led on-the-ground initiatives to curb the spread of diseases tracked under special public health monitoring. Key interventions include systematic elimination of mosquito breeding grounds, proactive door-to-door active case detection, community-led public health outreach, and sustained vector control programs, all of which have combined to drive continued downward trends in infection rates. To catch potential outbreaks early, health officials maintain constant, real-time oversight through the country’s National Epidemiological Surveillance System (SINAVE), which is designed to flag unusual infection clusters and trigger rapid response to protect community health.

    Breaking down the latest epidemiological data, the Ministry reported just 10 new confirmed dengue cases in the most recent reporting week. That brings the total cumulative count for the year to 111 cases, a fraction of the volume recorded in previous years. Nationwide, cholera has maintained a streak of zero confirmed infections for the period under review.

    For malaria, four new cases were documented in the southwestern province of San Juan, but health authorities emphasize the limited outbreak is fully contained and under control. The national cumulative total for 2026 currently stands at 83 cases, marking a dramatic 84% drop from the 511 cases recorded in the same 20-week window in 2025.

    Two additional cases of leptospirosis were reported in the surrounding province of Santo Domingo, pushing the year-to-date total to 149 cases. Public health officials note that the majority of this year’s leptospirosis cases are linked to unusual climatic conditions that have created favorable environments for the bacteria to spread, though overall case counts remain far lower than historical averages.

  • Dominican ophthalmologists warn of eye risks from Saharan dust

    Dominican ophthalmologists warn of eye risks from Saharan dust

    Residents of the Dominican Republic are now facing a little-discussed environmental health hazard tied to transcontinental atmospheric patterns, as the nation’s top ophthalmology body has issued a urgent public warning about the damaging impacts of Saharan dust intrusions on visual and ocular wellness.

    Each year, massive plumes of fine mineral dust lifted from the Sahara Desert in Northern Africa travel thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean to settle over the Caribbean, including the Dominican Republic. When concentrations of these tiny airborne particles spike, they create far more than just hazy skies—they pose direct risks to eye health that many people fail to anticipate, according to the Dominican Society of Ophthalmology.

    The organization has outlined a wide range of uncomfortable and potentially disruptive symptoms that can develop after exposure to high levels of Saharan dust. The most frequently reported issues include persistent eye irritation, a constant scratchy sensation like grit trapped under the eyelid, unexplained blurred vision, intense itching, abnormal dryness, and unusual discharge from the eye. Beyond these acute discomforts, the dust intrusion can also trigger serious flare-ups for people already living with chronic ocular conditions. Pre-existing issues such as allergic conjunctivitis and chronic dry eye syndrome often see dramatic worsening, with sharp increases in inflammation, persistent redness, and heightened vision-related discomfort that can interfere with daily activities.

    To help the public protect their ocular health during periods of elevated Saharan dust concentration, ophthalmology specialists have shared a set of clear, actionable preventive guidelines. First, they recommend cutting down on unnecessary time spent outdoors when dust levels are high, to reduce overall exposure to the harmful particles. If residents do need to go outside, they are advised to wear wraparound protective sunglasses that create a physical barrier to keep dust from reaching the eye surface. A critical safety reminder the organization emphasizes is to avoid rubbing the eyes even when irritation occurs, since rubbing can scratch the cornea or push more dust deeper into the eye tissue and worsen inflammation. For managing mild discomfort, specialists suggest using lubricating artificial tear eye drops that do not contain vasoconstrictors—ingredients often added to redness-reducing drops that can actually exacerbate dryness and irritation with long-term use.

    The society also stressed that knowing when to seek professional medical care is a key part of protecting long-term eye health. If symptoms such as persistent itching, ongoing redness, abnormal discharge, constant eye fatigue, or measurable reduced vision do not improve after a short period of treatment with over-the-counter lubricating drops, patients should schedule an appointment with an ophthalmologist immediately to avoid potential long-term damage.

  • JMMB’s banking bet paying off

    JMMB’s banking bet paying off

    JMMB Group, the Caribbean-based financial services conglomerate, has released full-year results ending March 31, 2026 that paint a contradictory yet revealing picture of its 10-plus-year corporate transformation: overall shareholder profit plummeted 56 percent to $1.55 billion, even as core banking operations delivered robust double-digit growth and customer confidence surged across the region.

    On paper, the mixed set of financial metrics appears contradictory: while headline profit dropped sharply, customers added $41.4 billion in new deposits to lift the group’s total deposit base to $267.8 billion, the overall loan portfolio expanded by $19.2 billion to hit $236.4 billion, and the banking segment’s operating contribution jumped 38 percent year-over-year to $6.24 billion. This disparity, however, is not a reporting anomaly—it is a clear reflection of the strategic shift JMMB has pursued for more than a decade, as it works to reduce its historic reliance on volatile investment-driven earnings.

    Long known to Jamaican consumers as a specialist in fixed-income investments and securities brokerage, JMMB has steadily expanded beyond its original core business over the past 10 years, building out a full regional banking footprint across Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and most recently the Dominican Republic. Group leadership made the deliberate decision to diversify after identifying that overreliance on investment income left the business overly vulnerable to swings in global financial markets and shifting interest rate environments.

    “We recognised that we needed diversification in earnings and that the investment business line is a little bit more subject to market movement and movement of interest rates and what we call market risk,” Group CEO Keith Duncan explained in an interview with local media.

    The first major milestone of this transition came in 2012, when JMMB acquired Capital & Credit Financial Group to secure its first merchant banking license. Five years later, the group secured a full commercial banking charter, opening the door to widespread expansion of traditional deposit-taking and lending activities that generate more stable, recurring income. The 2025/26 fiscal year represented one of the first major stress tests of this long-term strategy, and the results have borne out the logic of the shift, Duncan said.

    “When we started this journey, the objective was to build a more balanced business model where earnings would not be dependent on a single business line,” Duncan noted. “What you’re seeing now is the benefit of having multiple earnings streams contributing to the group.”

    The latest results bear this out: while banking and related services delivered $6.24 billion in operating contribution, up from $4.51 billion in the prior year, JMMB’s legacy financial services segment—which encompasses securities brokering, investment management, and advisory services—recorded a $2.05 billion loss for the period. Banking not only outperformed all other business units; it effectively absorbed the losses from the investment division to keep the group solvent through a period of market volatility.

    The sharp overall drop in headline shareholder profit can be traced largely to external factors outside JMMB’s core operating performance, specifically weaker results from Sagicor Financial Company, where JMMB holds a major stake. JMMB’s share of Sagicor’s profit fell to $1.01 billion, down from $2.84 billion in the prior year. While Sagicor’s core operating activities remained profitable, generating $25 billion in core earnings during the March quarter, broad volatility in U.S. and Canadian equity and bond markets pushed Sagicor to report a net attributable loss of $34.4 million for the period. As a major shareholder, JMMB is required to reflect its proportional share of Sagicor’s results in its own financial statements, pulling down the group’s overall bottom line.

    Additional headwinds included lower trading gains from JMMB’s own securities activities, where net gains fell from $5.79 billion to $4.27 billion year-over-year, and $1.61 billion in provisions set aside to cover potential future losses on financial assets amid market uncertainty.

    Despite the headline profit drop, Duncan emphasized that investors should prioritize the long-term structural shift in the group’s revenue mix over short-term bottom-line fluctuations. The banking division continues to gain market traction across the Caribbean, he noted, with net interest income—core profitability for most banks—climbing from $11.3 billion to $14.8 billion year-over-year. Foreign exchange trading gains also rose from $1.8 billion to $2.9 billion, driven largely by strong performance in Trinidad and Tobago, even as Jamaica’s market faced temporary disruption from Hurricane Melissa.

    “The banking business continues to show strong momentum across the region,” Duncan said. “Those operations are providing a strong foundation for the group. What investors should really focus on in our numbers is the fact that we’re achieving greater and greater diversification of revenues.”

    JMMB still retains a large exposure to financial markets: investment securities remain the group’s largest single asset category at $359.5 billion, and the company continues to offer investment management, wealth management, and securities trading services to clients across the region. But the 2025/26 results make clear how dramatically the group’s earnings profile has shifted over the past decade. A decade ago, a period of market volatility like this would have erased the group’s entire annual profit, driven by its near-total reliance on investment performance. Today, the growing banking division acts as a built-in stabilizer, cushioning the blow from market swings and laying the groundwork for more stable long-term growth.

  • CMU says staff arrest shows internal controls work

    CMU says staff arrest shows internal controls work

    A financial fraud scandal has unfolded at the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU), leading to the arrest of a long-serving administrative staff member on multiple charges connected to misappropriation of student payments. The case marks the second high-profile fraud investigation to hit the Jamaican higher education institution in recent years, and has prompted fresh conversations about financial accountability in public educational bodies.

    Kevan Anthony Panton, an accounting and customer service officer employed by CMU, was taken into custody this week following a joint investigation led by Jamaica’s Financial Investigations Division (FID), with support from the Special Investigation Branch of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Constabulary Financial Unit. In an official statement released Thursday, shortly after the FID publicized the arrest, CMU Principal Professor Andrew Spencer emphasized that the alleged irregularities were first flagged by the university’s own internal monitoring systems.

    Spencer emphasized that CMU followed all established institutional protocols from the moment discrepancies were detected, and has maintained full cooperation with law enforcement throughout the probe. “This outcome confirms that our governance and oversight structures are working as intended, designed to spot inconsistencies and escalate issues through the proper regulatory channels,” Spencer said. He added that core university operations, including teaching, training and research programs, have not been disrupted by the investigation, and the institution remains focused on its public mandate.

    FID officials confirmed that CMU’s leadership first reached out to the division to launch a formal probe, after a series of inconsistent financial records emerged. Following Panton’s arrest, the suspect underwent an interview with investigators in the presence of his legal representation, before being arraigned on 70 total criminal charges: 14 counts each of embezzlement, transaction of criminal property, possession of criminal property, facilitation of criminal property transactions, falsification of accounts, and conspiracy to defraud. Panton was granted bail in the amount of J$700,000 and is scheduled to make his first court appearance at the Kingston and St Andrew Criminal Court in Half-Way Tree on July 6.

    The roots of the investigation stretch back to November 2024, when an initial discrepancy was uncovered during a period of scheduled university system maintenance. While reconciling daily cashier close-out reports against official bank deposits, auditors found that J$970,000 in recorded funds had not been deposited to the university’s accounts. Though Panton eventually returned the missing sum, the sequence of events deviated sharply from standard cash handling policies, leaving investigators with lingering concerns.

    New red flags emerged in January 2026, during the university’s main examination period, when dozens of students presented manual payment receipts for fees that did not appear anywhere in CMU’s centralized financial records. That discovery prompted a full formal audit of CMU’s manual receipting, banking and accounts receivable processes. The audit found that sequential numbering had been broken across multiple manual receipt books, and several complete books could not be located for review.

    In total, auditors were unable to account for just over J$1.7 million in student payments recorded on manual receipts. Of that missing sum, J$552,500 has since been returned to the university, leaving an outstanding deficit of more than J$1.1 million. Both Panton and a second CMU employee were suspended immediately after the audit findings were finalized in January 2026, and a formal criminal report was submitted to the FID shortly after.

    Keith Darien, FID’s Principal Director of Financial Crimes Investigations, said the case reinforces how critical robust internal controls and timely reporting are to catching and addressing financial malfeasance in public institutions. “Every institution that collects funds on its own behalf must maintain clear accountability at every step of the cash handling, receipting and reconciliation process,” Darien said. “The FID will continue partnering with law enforcement and institutional stakeholders to root out suspected financial crime, and ensure that all cases with supporting evidence are brought before the courts.”

    This arrest comes as CMU already faces another massive fraud prosecution: former CMU head Professor Fritz Pinnock is one of five people on trial accused of defrauding the university and Jamaica’s Ministry of Education of more than J$25 million. The co-accused in that ongoing case include former Minister of Education Ruel Reid, Reid’s wife Sharen, their daughter Sharelle, and Jamaica Labour Party councillor Kim Brown Lawrence.