by: Audley Phillip
Leaders Lambase Regional Judges & Lawyers In A Most Unusual & Surprise Attack
I listened to soundbites coming out of the recent Heads of Government meeting that just ended in Trinidad.
The blatant attack on the judiciary by the most unlikely sources, Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados and Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent & The Grenadines, for among other things, the granting of bail to murder accused in the region, didn’t go unnoticed.
It was a flagrant attack on our judges and magistrates and threaten to interfere with their independence and impartiality.
There was even a suggestion made that regional judges and magistrates openly favour clients of certain lawyers.
This was such a “low blow” and an insult to the integrity of regional judges and magistrates.
This is the very reason why several countries in the region still use the British Privy Council as their final court of justice.
Most citizens are fearful of the influence that politicians can exert on regional judges and the impact that they can have on important cases.
I think that both lawyers and judges throughout the region should come out and strongly denounce the pronouncements by the leaders and see it for what it is – their effort to interfere with justice.
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@Audley Phillip… The correct spelling of the word is not “lambase”. It can be spelled one of two ways: lambast or lambaste.
I do not agree that regional leaders attacked the judiciary. It was an honest assessment on the part of the leaders, and I daresay that the concerns expressed have been concerns of a large percentage of the regional population.
One of the grave injustices that Privy Council (and by extension, the regional judiciary) has perpetrated on the citizens of the Caribbean is to insist that a convicted murderer is NOT to be executed, unless he is proven to be among the “worst of the worst”.
The problem with that stance is that there is NO LEGAL DEFINITION of the worst of the worst. To be clear, what the Privy Council has done is to take a moral position that no law has ever contemplated. The net effect is that it basically ties the hands of the judiciary within the Caribbean from carrying out the death penalty, even when it is totally justified and warranted. The result is that the judiciary in the Caribbean is now somewhat comatose and the criminals run amok among us. That is what the leaders were complaining about.
@Wash an’ Basin.
You say quite rightly, there is no legal definition of ‘worst of the worst’ and there will never be as far as the Privy Council is concerned. Their minds are set in stone against capital punishment and even if a definition was created they would find a loophole to not administer it. Those citizens who wish for the deterrent to be implemented are caught between a rock and a hard place;the Privy Council is against it regardless of the ‘worst of the worst’ smoke and mirrors camouflage and the CCJ that will follow the dictates of the Privy Council hence, the low life criminals who feel elevated and empowered in the possession of guns have a field day; no death penalty and if (slim hope) caught will spend the rest of their days getting three meals a day at taxpayers’ expense, of course.
Writer have you not heard the same said of UK and US judges? You don’t have access to BBC or CNN? On the latter, you have heard nothing re Clarence Thomas? You have not seen UK articles which has found some judges there not only racist but also guilty of corruption (eg Judge Constance Briscoe)? Guy judges are also human and unfortunately we will have some bad apples. The problem for our people (including you) is the grass always seems greener on the other side. However data anfter data shows the perception is wrong (see Systemic racism within UK criminal justice system a serious concern: UN human rights experts, 27 January 2023 )
I know you think you sound intelligent, but the writer reported the news. There was never an attempt to make a comparison which would make no sense. The person reported an event just the same as the news media in the UK and USA reported their news. Should he not have reported what happened because OTHER PLACES HAVE THE SAME ISSUES? What is worse is that you are not being truthful. You are an apologist for FOOLISHNESS. According to you. We should love garbage because there is garbage everywhere. EVERYONE knows you are a POLITICAL HACK that cares nothing about Antigua at least that is how you come across and you don’t even seem to know it. You have no credibility. You are mentally crippled and not a solutions-based thinker. You don’t get to tell people what to say or how to think. People can see through you. you are simply UNDIANOISED..
@George Williams: “This is the very reason why several countries in the region still use the British Privy Council as their final court of justice.
Most citizens are fearful of the influence that politicians can exert on regional judges and the impact that they can have on important cases.”
I get you need attention. One would think your wife would be enough. Look elsewhere
Correction: UNDIAGNOISED.
Coincidentally, someone just shared an article with me in a regional paper. It says “The Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT) has expressed its disapproval at what it said had been “the recent attempts by regional political leaders to ridicule judges for their decisions to grant bail to persons charged with murder”.
Fully agree with you, though I wish those politicians would support the CCJ and give us a chance to grow our own Apex Court judges. Give us a chance to praise what we raise in our own culture, which is an integral part of Justice.
What ever happened to the judges hubby that killed and mamed the AUA students on friers hill rd. Nothing. Enough said.
OMG in Feb: “But after the death of Mathew 10 days after the accident, the father-of-two was slapped with the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
@Billybob – Now, since the new charge is indictable, Magistrate Dexter Wason has to determine if there is sufficient evidence against the accused to refer his matter up to the higher court where he will appear before a judge.
That determination is now slated to be done on June 5 once the file has been completed.”
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