At least two Senior Counsel are supporting the government's proposal to introduce the post of Lord Chancellor of the Judiciary, to oversee the day-to-day running of the Courts. However one former President of the Law Association is exercising caution. Rynessa Cutting reports.
00:00government is moving to introduce a senior officer to the judicial
00:04hierarchy in the form of a Lord Chancellor of the judiciary on a
00:08attorney general on our instructions talk to the law reform Commission to
00:15examine the establishment of a Lord Chancellor of the judiciary of Trinidad
00:21and Tobago the law reform Commission has prepared a research note and we will be
00:27reviewing that in the cabinet the chief justice will still be in charge of the
00:33judiciary but the Chancellor will oversee the day-to-day logistics and the running
00:39of the courts the Prime Minister says the ultimate goal is to make the justice
00:44system more efficient we can fix the operations of the judiciary and have the
00:50chief justice what he give the chief justice judiciary what do you require
00:54fit for purpose human resources we are currently nearly staged but we hope to
01:01have the legislation drafted by October when the Parliament reopens and again we
01:06will have nationwide consultations on this major change to our judicial system
01:12in the country we cannot do the same things over and over again and expect to
01:18have change head of the criminal bar Association senior counsel Israel Khan is
01:23welcoming the announcement in the criminal bar Association will support such a
01:31venture because the chief justice is over burden and over tax it's a very good
01:38idea and that the administrator would not be bucked down with writing judgments on
01:43research any law etc etc so it's a very good idea because people are in prison for
01:4910 and 15 years within a trial date all the magistrate's courts most of the
01:56magistrate courts are not really functioning and prisoners are coming in later
02:02court justice is almost at a standstill so believe the chief justice need all the
02:09assistance that that he can get the senior counsel says he foresees no issues as it
02:15pertains to the role of the judicial officer versus the role of the chief
02:19justice he's the head of the judiciary under the doctrine of separation of powers
02:25he's the head of the judiciary which is totally independent from executive
02:31control and so on it wouldn't it wouldn't erode his for now his status I think he
02:38will welcome something like this if there's a law chancellor they may not may
02:42not have the mistakes of that like they made with the CCS in knowing how many
02:48patterns she has and then appointed her then removing her and then go to the
02:53privy castle and all these things Israeli assistant word on the ground is that
02:58there may already be someone in mind for the post
03:02well has anyone approached you has the government approached you at all in
03:05relation no no no no no no no you see what happened I'm an outspoken person sort of in my nature
03:12I I I um no the government has not approached me and I wouldn't be good I would not be a good
03:18person because you need somebody with tact and a slow person who could you know be diplomatic and so on
03:25I'm not a diplomat and I I do not suffer fools easily so I not me meantime former law association
03:33president senior counsel Douglas Mendes says he's also in support of the move but he stresses it depends
03:41on how it is done all I can say that is a good idea but one will have to see the amendments that they are proposing because there will be a number of questions that arise as for example how is the Chancellor to be appointed who is going to be appointing the Chancellor who does the Chancellor report to in other words there are questions to be raised concerning the independence of the Chancellor
04:10so as so all I can say at this stage is that it is a good idea but we have to wait and see exactly what the details of the proposal are in other words the devil is in the details the Law Association held a meeting earlier today to discuss the matter and will share its position at a later date
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