(Jamaica Observer) The Ministry of Agriculture has sacked its director of communications, Cecil Thoms, who was accused by junior minister Ian Hayles of taping his conversations without permission.
The sacking comes less than a day after Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn ruled that no criminal offence was committed, after reviewing the file submitted by the police on the alleged taping.
“My lawyer and I are examining all possible legal options for breach of redress and, therefore, we will be contesting this because clearly there has been a breach of natural justice and we think that it is something that is worth contesting,” Thoms told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.
Thoms, a former radio reporter, said the Public Service Commission (PSC) in terminating his services cited Section 23, Sub-section 3 of the Public Service Regulation of 1961, which states that “you do not need a reason to fire someone who is on probation”.
“But Thoms has taken issue with the way in which the matter was handled, noting that he was not on probation and had been with the ministry since May 2010.
“My dismissal was unfair and given the circumstances, especially in light of the director of public prosecution’s ruling, it could have been handled differently,” he added. DPP Paula Llewellyn had recommended that both parties seek to have the matter mediated in the best interest of all.
In the meantime, Thoms’ attorney Patrick Bailey said his client was dismissed unfairly, adding that they were exploring all their options.
