The Editor, Sir:

So, Cash Plus Limited (CPL) is broke and investors are unlikely to recoup all their investment. Carlos Hill, CPL's main man and some of his deputies are in jail. Hill's attorney is asking that he be accorded the presumption of innocence and states that he has done nothing wrong. I don't know who to feel sorry for more: Carlos Hill and his assistants or 40,000 Jamaicans, most of whom should have known better, who have been separated from their money.

Some observations need to be made here: CPL was allowed to be established and flourished by the Government of the day and by the lax oversight of the financial authorities. It took a change in government and some backbone by the financial authorities to finally start paying attention to the operations of these 'alternative investment clubs'. The banks that maintained CPL's accounts for the longest while are not blameless either. A sad commentary on the state of affairs in Jamaica.

Investors should invest with their head and not their heart. Any financial entity promising to more than double your return on investment in under a year deserves very careful scrutiny from potential investors, including information about the principals of such an entity.

I am, etc.,

TREVOR DAWES

trevordawes@earthlink.net

Via Go-Jamaica