The Government has been ordered to pay the legal costs for five men, who were detained under the State of Emergency (SOE).

This, after the Appellate Court threw out an appeal against a Supreme Court ruling, which determined that the detention of the men under the SOE was unconstitutional.

The Government filed the appeal after the Supreme Court handed down the ruling in July 2020.

When the matter was brought up today (July 21), the Court of Appeal upheld the ruling and ordered the Government to pay the men’s legal costs.

The men are Everton Douglas, Nicholas Heat, Courtney Hall, Courtney Thompson and Gavin Noble.

They were held under SOEs in Kingston Eastern, St. Andrew South, Westmoreland and Clarendon.

Some of them were reportedly in custody for more than a year without being charged.

Defense Lawyer, Isat Buchanan told IRIE FM news that today’s decision by the Court of Appeal is proof that the country’s justice system works.