Hampden Estates Ltd, which operated a sugar factory in Trelawny that was closed several years ago, has obtained a 21-day ex parte injunction barring the Government from selling, transferring or disposing of its assets.
Supreme Court Judge Donald McIntosh granted an injunction on on April 28 after hearing submissions in chambers. Hampden Estates Ltd has several large properties in Trelawny and St James.
The other defendants which have been barred from selling the assets of Hampden Estate Ltd are the Sugar Company of Jamaica Holdings Ltd, receiver John Lee and the Trelawny Sugar Company of Jamaica.
The injunction is effective for 21 days and on May 19 the court will decide if the injunction must be extended. Attorneys-at-law Crafton Miller and Suzette Wolfe, instructed by attorney-at-law Celia Barclay, made the application for the ex parte injunction.
Hampden Estates Ltd was one of the sugar estates under the control of the Sugar Company of Jamaica Holdings Ltd and Trelawny Sugar Company of Jamaica which the Government decided to sell.
A Brazilian company had agreed to purchase the assets of the Sugar Company of Jamaica, but after the deal fell through, the assets of the Sugar Company were put back on the market on January 31 this year.
Receivership
It was reported in March that two local companies were interested in purchasing Hampden Estates and Long Pond Estates in Trelawny.
Hampden Estates, which was owned and operated by former Managing Director David Farquharson and family members, went into receivership in 1999 after it was taken over by the government-owned Financial Sector Adjustment Company (FINSAC). The defendants are also barred from interfering with the Hampden Great House, which is currently occupied by the Farquharsons.
The People's National Party Government closed the estate in 2,000, which resulted in more than 200 persons becoming jobless.
Hampden Estates has filed three suits in the Supreme Court over the takeover of the estate by FINSAC and the suits are pending in the Supreme Court.
barbara.gayle@gleanerjm.com