By KEILE CAMPBELL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

YOUTH, Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg, who previously cited a Supreme Court ruling to justify cutting off funding to one Valley Boys faction, is now refusing to comment after the Court of Appeal swung the legal pendulum in the other direction.

Mr Bowleg told The Tribune on Sunday he had “no response” to the appellate decision and would “let the Court deal with it”.

The remark marked a sharp reversal from his stance in September, when he pointed to a March Supreme Court ruling that favoured the “Way Forward” faction led by Trevor Davis to defend the government’s decision to withhold seed funding from the long-established “World Famous” Valley Boys, headed by Brian Adderley.

The Court of Appeal last week criticised the Registrar General’s Office over the registration of Mr Davis’ group, describing the actions as “beyond belief”. The judges said unauthorised people had been allowed to register the group’s name and logo without proper verification under the Non-Profit Organisations Act.

They granted Mr Adderley’s group leave to appeal, saying the case had “excellent prospects of success”.

A spokesperson for the World Famous Valley Boys said yesterday that they expect to now receive seed funding.

“We expect to receive seed funding every year, inclusive of last year and this year,” the Valley Communications Team said. “The Court of Appeal is supporting and cementing what we have been stating during the entire ordeal. We can only hope that the powers that be understand, take it into consideration and issue not only the funds for this year but also last year that we did not receive, totalling $70,000.”

The Way Forward group, meanwhile, has described the appellate court’s comments as “unfortunate,” insisting its members were “founding, longstanding, and legitimate” Valley Boys members.

“The matter before the Supreme Court was addressed on the papers,” the group said. “We find the Court’s reliance on that characterisation most unfortunate; however, we remain fully committed to continuing our pursuit of justice through the pending judicial review action.”

The group said it remains focused on preparing for the upcoming Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parades, pledging to uphold “the spirit, excellence, and legacy of the Valley Boys—for the people, by the people.”

The Valley Boys leadership dispute erupted in 2023 after internal divisions split the group into two rival factions, one led by Mr Adderley, who has chaired since 2014, and another led by Mr Davis, who accused the former leadership of mismanagement and non-compliance with the NPO Act.