The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) and Law Association of T&T yesterday both focused on the issues concerning Attorney General Reginald Armour and Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard DPP, which both organisations consider urgent.
This, amid continuing silence from Government on Wednesday’s meeting between Armour and Gaspard.
The CBA issued a statement including calling for Armour to properly address the dire state of affairs at the DPP’s Office (ODPP) and expressing its disappointment and disapproval with Armour’s recent response about “underperformance” of that Office.
LATT’s Council met on issues concerning the ODPP.
Attorneys have monitored the matter since last week’s statements by Gaspard on chronic staff shortages plaguing his Office, where he has only 58 prosecutors and requires 129. There are also accommodation issues.
Gaspard’s concerns were countered by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s remarks regarding Government’s three-year lease of a building for the ODPP which wasn’t occupied despite millions in rent.”
Rowley cited the Special Branch’s call for bulletproof glass for the building, a wall, then the landlord’s halting of further “interference” with the building.
The building at eastern Park Street— a stone’s throw from East PoS hotspots—is extensively glass.
The ODPP has not occupied it to date, due to security issues. The three-year lease ended and it is now on a month-to-month arrangement.
Rowley’s remarks were followed by Armour alluding to the “under-performance” of the DPP’s Office.
Armour called Gaspard to a meeting on Wednesday, but neither has spoken on the lengthy caucus.
There was no post-Cabinet media conference yesterday either, despite expectations that the Government might speak on the issue.
ODPP prosecutors marched to the AG’s Office on Wednesday to deliver a letter seeking a retraction and apology for his “under-performance” claim, insisting they would not move into the Park Street building.
One said yesterday they were “waiting” to see how the matter progressed.
CBA president Israel Khan, meanwhile, said they were disappointed with how Armour had dealt with the issue.
He said, “The CBA, again, calls upon the Honourable Attorney General to properly address the dire state of affairs existing at the DPP’s Office as set out in their March 14th 2023 letter to the AG.
“The CBA expresses its disappointment and disapproval with the current response of the AG, who, instead of accepting the bona fide complaints of staff shortages in the DPP’s Office, has dismissed such complaints as ‘unsatisfactory for their under-performance’ and went further to say ‘other critical arms of the criminal justice system are also operating below capacity, yet far more effectively’.”
Khan noted mounting demands on Gaspard’s attorneys, “and that thus far, DPP attorneys have remained committed to the performance of their duties with the highest degree of professionalism.”
He noted that the complaints were raised numerous times, most recently in a July 2022 meeting with Armour.
“While the CBA notes that in recent times there have been an increased appointment of judicial officers and the creating of the Public Defenders’ Office, there has been no corresponding strengthening of the ODPP, with the result that the overbearing weight of the increased workload for High Court criminal trials is now crushing the limited number of ODPP attorneys.”
Khan warned Armour, “If the DPP’s concerns aren’t addressed, it is likely the entire criminal justice trial system may grind to a halt, which would result in millions of public funds being wasted on judges, masters, public defenders but with no trials to do as ODPP attorneys will be unable to perform their duties due to limited resources.”
He added, “The CBA calls upon all criminal advocates to co-operate and support their colleagues from the DPP’s department when they seek adjournments in the various criminal courts in order to better prepare their respective case for presentation to courts.”
LATT president Sophia Chote, meanwhile, told the T&T Guardian that the council met yesterday and discussed “certain decisions” pertaining to the DPP’s Office.
Chote added, “I’m not at liberty to say what the discussions involved any more than to say that we had discussions and took decisions. The matter will continue to be addressed and considered urgent by LATT.”
That was on the eve of today’s LATT election.
Veteran attorney, Dr Lynette Seebaran-Suite, has been nominated unopposed for president.
Some LATT members believe the council may seek to write Armour and Gaspard to see what assistance can be rendered.