Barbados continues to languish without Chief Justice, Attorney General dodges matter, refers PM

Both Barbados Underground & Barbados Free Press have lambasted the Freundel Stuart regime for its weird stance on the selection of a Chief Justice for Barbados, attorneys Arthur Holder & Andrew Pilgrim have also made comments on the matter which have been logged in videos right here…

It seems both sides of Parliament spent long hours debating over the selection process and/or qualifications thereof, yet when the DLP ramrods the choice through – yet nothing happens? According to many sources a bullet-proofed Benz for a Mr Marston Gibson is waiting at a popular car dealership with a price far over a quarter of a million bucks.

UK_Accra-001 — Detective Superintendent Neville Blackwood, a Police Adviser with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, chaired the seminar…

The June assizes commence and there next to the PM is the Acting Chief Justice, should he not get an Oscar for acting in that post for so long now? Does it not beg the question that the DLP may have been thought to be to be a tad bit spiteful in kicking Sir David Simmons to the kerb as CJ merely for what, if true, would be considered by many Bajans as pimping of a politick nature?

Why fight so hard for a post and change its qualifications then do not install the man who the law was revised for? What is the delay? Isn’t the Attorney General one of the best people to ask wha’ gine on, d’en? When Bajan Reporter managed to catch up with Adriel Brathwaite in Rockley recently, here’s what happened when we dared to seek clarification on the ongoing pursuit to establish one of the highest offices in Barbados {CLICK ON FOLLOWING LINK FOR FULL AUDIO};-

Ian Bourne poses the query to Mr Brathwaite who then gets very gruff and advises Bajan Reporter to consult the Prime Minister since the choice of Chief Justice is his decision…

The Attorney General objected to accusations by members of the British press that Barbados appears “less than honest” in its reporting of crimes with respect to visitors.

Whitepark-003 — This is the rather embattled Supreme Court (home to titanic impasses between Pilly and Magistrates as well as as sewage leaking incidents) – here is where the Chief Justice is SUPPOSED to preside, is the reason for delay to try and also impose legislature to allow Bajan Yankees to vote? Was that why Marston was chosen, to impress Barbadians of the US diaspora?

The Cabinet Minister pointed to the establishment of a crime desk, managed by well-trained officers, which lets the Royal Barbados Police Force to place the “highest possible priority to visitors once a crime is involved” {CLICK ON FOLLOWING LINK FOR FULL AUDIO};-

“I wish to make it absolutely clear that this is not true. Indeed it is my knowledge that where there are incidents of crime involving visitors to our island the highest priority is given to these cases and we offer no apology for this stance,” he charged.

I had managed to buttonhole Minister Brathwaite just after the opening of a two-day Pan-Caribbean Police Conference, sponsored by the British High Commission entitled “Supporting Victims of Sexual Assault”, at the Accra Beach Resort.

Claiming he was not afraid to let the truth be known, the Attorney General added Barbados has no fear of disclosure and, on the contrary, ensured that visitors were offered the best support possible.

UK_Accra-012 — The media were like flies on rice with Minister Brathwaite yet none asked about the Chief Justice except yours truly, are they really so timid?

In addition, Mr. Brathwaite revealed that while Barbados had not legislatively addressed victims’ rights, he told those gathered that he was of the opinion the “time was ripe for Government to deal with this issue legislatively, so that victims and police as well as other officials involved in the processes, which flowed from a sexual assault, were clear about their respective roles” {CLICK ON FOLLOWING LINK FOR FULL AUDIO};-

“As police officers, all of your investigations of sexual assault must be matched by sensitivity, confidentiality, dignity, respect and a commitment to professionalism since you will be the first point of contact with the victims of crime and will be required to provide steadfast support throughout the judicial process,” he said.

The Attorney General stated that in the majority of cases the victims had no knowledge of the police or court process especially if that person was a visitor to the island, and such mitigating factors as linguistics or cultural differences might pose a challenge to the victim as well as the police.

“It is imperative that during the investigative process that the victim is kept informed of the progress in the inquiry…she or he must be left with no doubt that their matter is being given the highest priority,” he stressed.

UK_Accra-006 — As a follow-up to the conference, a small group of officers will go to the UK to witness British Police departments working at a practical level and the International Academy of the UK National Policing Improvement Agency will provide a train-the-trainers course to Caribbean police services to enable training to be cascaded to officers on the beat.

The 2-day workshop examined such topics as: Law Enforcement in the Caribbean, the Extent of the Problem in the Caribbean and the United Kingdom and the Caribbean Approach to Sexual Assault Crime Prevention. {Co-Author(s): TB/BGIS}

Post Views: 0