Mendes mum on AG’s caution over judicial review of PM’s decision

President of the Law Association of TT Douglas Mendes, SC, has declined to comment on Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi’s statement that it would be dangerous to have the High Court alone decide on its judicial review proceedings against the Prime Minister’s decision not to start the impeachment process against Chief Justice Ivor Archie.

On Friday, lawyers voted in favour of filing a judicial review claim to have the courts examine the Prime Minister’s refusal to refer the allegations against the CJ to the President so that a tribunal can be appointed under section 137 for investigation.

“I would prefer not to comment on a matter that will be going before the court,” Mendes briefly told the Newsday, yesterday. Al-Rawi had stated that it would be “dangerous to allow this issue to be decided simply by a high court decision.”

He said either party would have the right to appeal any judicial review decision, whether to be granted or not.

In July, Rowley said he did not initiate impeachment proceedings against the Chief Justice after receiving legal advice, which said he should not take association’s advice to invoke the section 137 process.

The PM said he was advised that there were insufficient grounds to warrant him to make a representation to the President for Archie’s removal, and for a tribunal to be set up to investigate the series of allegations which arose in 2017.