Court Clears Way for Divestment of Hampden Estate

The way has been cleared for the Government’s planned divestment of the Hampden Sugar Estate in Trelawny.
Hampden Estate sought an injunction, until the Supreme Court heard a civil suit it had brought against the Government. The suit, if granted, would have barred the Government from subdividing and consequently privatizing the estate.
The Court, however, refused the application for the interlocutory injunction. The ruling was handed down on Friday morning (July 10) by Supreme Court Judge, Mr. Justice Campbell. Hampden applied for a stay of execution, but this application was also refused.
In June, the Government reached a deal for the sale of the Trelawny and St. Thomas sugar companies, as a first step in divesting the country’s assets in the sector. Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Dr Christopher Tufton, had made the announcement in Parliament, at that time.
Dr. Tufton said that the divestment process is absolutely critical, as there is no way that the Government can continue to shoulder a Sugar Company of Jamaica (SCJ) debt burden exceeding $16 billion, and growing by approximately $2 billion per annum, and still find capital to invest in improving the factories.