No decision on from Law Assoc this week, CJ gets right to reply

Ivor Archie
Ivor Archie

Chief Justice Ivor Archie will be given an opportunity to reply to allegations of misconduct made against him. The Law Association will not be taking any decision on a report which it will receive tomorrow on allegations made against Archie. These were the comments made by Douglas Mendes SC, president of the association, yesterday.

In response to questions sent to him by Newsday, Mendes said, “No decision is to be taken on Friday. At most, the committee will submit an interim report.”

The association appointed a two-member committee of senior counsel to advise on if Section 137 of the Constitution, which addresses the grounds for invoking a tribunal a chief justice, can be applied against Archie. Mendes said the work of the committee is continuing.

“The Chief Justice will be given an opportunity to respond in any event.” Archie is currently overseas. He is scheduled to return home this weekend. Contrary to a Trinidad Guardian article yesterday, Mendes said, “There was never any meeting of the council (of the Law Association) carded for Friday.” He said the council will hold its usual monthly meeting on January 9.

On whether the conditions for triggering Section 137 are more likely given recent developments, Mendes declined comment. However attorney Gerald Ramdeen said, “The recent comments by former chief justices only ring louder the calls for accountability and transparency in the Judiciary.”

Ramdeen said the facts about the debacle involving the appointment of former chief magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar as a High Court judge and her subsequent resignation from that post have been in the public domain since April. “That was the beginning and now some months later, we have the most serious allegations that lay unanswered at the feet of the head of the Judiciary,” he said. Archie has denied the allegations made against him.

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