PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT) Friday said it remains “undeterred in carrying out its mandate” after Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar said she had “no regard for the eat-ah-food filth in the hierarchy” of the organization.
Persad-Bissessar was critical of the body after it issued a statement on Thursday, in which it expressed unease over what it described as the “hastened and truncated” process that led to the elevation of Court of Appeal Judge, Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh, to the position of Chief Justice on Wednesday.
In its statement on Thursday, the LATT praised Boodoosingh’s “tremendous contribution to the nation’s jurisprudence” and his years of dedicated service as a lecturer at the Hugh Wooding Law School, while also paying tribute to outgoing chief justice Ivor Archie and thanking him for his long service to the Judiciary.
But the LATT, which said that its mission is maintaining and improving the standard, conduct, and proficiency of the legal profession here, expressed concern that the constitutional process which governs the appointment of a Chief Justice may not have been properly observed.
LATT said that while the appointment itself was lawful, it could not be satisfied that a “proper and reasonable consultation was undertaken” between the Office of the President and the key constitutional stakeholders, namely the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, as required by Section 102 of the Constitution.
Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles told reporters Friday that she remains convinced there was insufficient consultation before the appointment of the new chief justice, insisting that her issue was with the appointment timeline, not the choice of Justice Boodoosingh to fill the post.
“The issue is that I laid out very clearly the time frame: 6.30 in the evening, while I am in Parliament, to bring a letter that had some errors, 8.30 in the morning, you seek to deal with that error, and 2 pm, you appoint. I don’t think it is unreasonable for me to say that’s insufficient consultation.
“I don’t think anybody disputes that CJ Boodoosingh is competent. He has been a teacher at the University of the West Indies (UWI), where he taught ethics. I don’t think anyone queries his qualification,” she added.
Boodoosingh was selected and sworn in by acting president Wade Mark on Tuesday, one day after Archie announced he was retiring after 18 years in the position.
Asked by reporters to comment on the LATT statement, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar said, “I have no regard for the eat-ah-food filth in the hierarchy of the Law Association, so their comments mean nothing to me. The Law Association is a defiled and discredited organization. It is a mouthpiece for lazy, dunce, hungry-mouth PNM(opposition People’s National Movement) senior counsel who loot the treasury”.
She defended the decision by the acting President to move ahead with the appointment of the new chief justice, saying, “Ivor Archie was appointed chief justice one day after Sat Sharma resigned in 2008. CJ Sharma resigned on January 23, 2008, and CJ Archie was appointed on January 24, 2008”.
She also said that in her letters to Mark, she made it clear that she had no preference for whom he should select as Chief Justice. “My letters to the acting President are clear. I had no preference,” she said.
In its statement on Friday, and signed by its President, Lynette Seebaran-Suite SC, LATT said it “notes the recent comments” made by the prime minister in response to its statement on the appointment of the new head of the judiciary.
“The LATT reaffirms its statutory responsibility to comment on matters affecting the administration of justice and the rule of law. In fulfilling this duty, the Association acts independently, without fear or favor, and in accordance with the highest traditions of the legal profession.
“The Association emphasizes that public discourse on legal and constitutional matters, particularly among holders of high office, should be conducted with mutual respect and regard for the institutions that safeguard our democracy.”
LATT said that it “values constructive engagement among all branches of the State” and that it “remains undeterred in carrying out its mandate and will continue to serve the public interest by providing fair and principled guidance on issues affecting the rule of law, while maintaining the dignity befitting its role in national life”.
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