Tuesday, October 13 2009

THE COUNCIL of the Law Association will meet today to consider correspondence sent by Attorney General John Jeremie in relation to a war of words between himself and the association over the ruling of a sitting High Court Judge, as well as the Prime Minister’s repeated vetoing of candidates for the post of Director of Public Prosecution.

The council will meet at 3 pm at the association offices in the Karl Hudson-Phillips Building on St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain.

The council is the governing and executive body of the association, which is a body corporate set up under Section 3 of the Legal Profession Act. It is responsible for the general management of the association.

Jeremie despatched a letter to the association on September 29 as he sought to defend statements he made in Parliament which were critical of then High Court judge Justice Rajendra Narine. Jeremie criticised Narine for referring a struck-out affidavit in a sale action to the police and to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

For these criticisms the Law Association issued a press release criticising the Attorney General for his comments.

Prior to this, association president Martin Daly SC was critical of Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s vetoing of two successive Judicial and Legal Services candidates for the post of DPP. In the Senate on September 23, Jeremie said, “I am the Attorney General. I am used to attack but when the president of our Law Association speaks a lie I am obliged to call him out.” The Attorney General promised to write the association on the issue.