Gold miner Jerome Parkes has moved to the High Court to challenge the decision of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) to detain his Beechcraft plane, which he said is vital to his operations in Venezuela.
In an application filed on Thursday, using the recently enforced Judicial Review Act, his attorney Everton Singh-Lammy sought an Order or Writ of Certiorari directed to SOCU Head Sydney James to quash his decision or act to detain the aircraft as well as the measures enforced to prohibit him or the aircraft from leaving the jurisdiction, saying the actions are in excess of jurisdiction, a breach of the principles of natural justice, unreasonable, irregular, an abuse of power and made in the absence of evidence upon which a finding of fact could reasonably be based.
He also wants the court to grant an Order or Writ of Mandamus directed to the Commissioner of Police, the Head of SOCU and any other relevant authority in relation to this matter compelling them to immediately order the release of the aircraft and all the documents pertaining to the aircraft, to immediately remove the wheel locks placed on the aircraft and to not prevent it from leaving the jurisdiction.
