Supreme Court Order Freezes Accompong Maroon Nomination and Colonel Election

A Supreme Court judge on Wednesday approved an interim injunction that stops a nomination exercise set for today in Accompong, St Elizabeth, and blocks a leadership ballot planned for next Friday in the historic Maroon settlement.

The written order from Justice N Hart-Hines, obtained by the Jamaica Observer on Thursday, states that on the ex parte application for an interim injunction, nomination day and election day activities are to remain on hold until 10 June 2026, or until the court hears the amended application for the orders sought.

“The hearing of the amended ex parte notice of application for interim injunction is fixed for the 10th day of June, 2026 at 10:00 am for one hour by video conference or as soon as counsel may be heard,” the order read. “The amended ex parte notice of application for interim injunction and affidavits filed in support thereof must be served on the respondent, Richard Currie. Applicant’s attorneys-at-law are to prepare, file, and serve this order. Permission is granted for service by electronic means.”

Phillip-Traile and Company acts for Meredith Rowe, who brought the claim. Rowe is a former colonel of Accompong and among those who may contest this year’s vote, which fell due on 18 February.

Currie said last Saturday that Accompong would elect its next colonel on 22 May, with nominations set for today—seven days ahead of the poll many residents have awaited.

Rowe is not only seeking to bar Currie from continuing to function as colonel of the Accompong Maroons. He has asked the court to put an interim Maroon council in place, establish an election council, produce a register of qualified electors, and stop Currie from convening any election on his own.

In his filings, Rowe alleges that Currie has been arranging the process without briefing other possible contenders, imposing terms and rules that advance his own interests. He argued it was unreasonable to fix nomination for today while the voters’ list remained unsettled.

Rowe and fellow would-be candidates also dispute Currie’s push to apply a document he describes as a constitution for Accompong.

Speaking on Nationwide News Network, Currie countered that the Accompong Maroons already have a constitution that was ratified and gazetted. He maintained that the current electoral steps follow that Maroon Constitution.