Fixing judiciary highest priority

THE EDITOR: TT’s justice system is in crisis. Ordinary citizens see it every day: endless case delays, high-profile murders still unresolved, and a remand population that clogs our prisons while victims’ families wait for closure.

The problem is structural. The Privy Council’s Pratt ruling set a five-year limit on executions for those on death row, recognising that prolonged delay is cruel and inhuman. Decades later, that rule still means convicted killers often have their sentences commuted simply because our system cannot bring appeals to completion in time.

Meanwhile, public trust has been battered by notorious cases: the 2021 abduction and murder of Andrea Bharatt, the unresolved 1998 killing of 11-year-old Akiel Chambers, and the 2014 assassination of Dana Seetahal SC. Each case exposed chronic weaknesses – lost or degraded evidence, prolonged committals, delays in prosecution – that make justice seem elusive, especially when victims are women or children.

These failures are not rumours; they are documented in media reports, court proceedings and official statements. They point to under-resourced prosecutors, outdated case management, poor evidence-handling and weak oversight of law enforcement and forensic processes.

The fix requires political courage and technical reform:

• Publish transparent case-backlog data so the public can hold institutions accountable.

• Strengthen and properly fund the Office of the DPP to reduce delays in indictments.

• Modernise digital evidence and case-tracking systems to prevent lost or tampered files.

• Give the Police Complaints Authority and an independent forensic body real powers to audit evidence-handling and custodial deaths.

• Create a special review unit for cold high-profile cases that still deserve closure.

• Bolster witness protection and streamline committal procedures to get indictable matters to trial faster.

Justice cannot depend on wealth or influence. Every delayed indictment, every lost exhibit,and every witness who gives up hope erode confidence in the rule of law.

If TT is serious about security, equality and democracy, then fixing the judiciary must be our highest priority. Parliament must act before more families are denied justice.

RAVI C RAMKISSOON

Tunapuna