(Trinidad Guardian) Attorney General Anand Ramlogan is calling on Chief Justice Ivor Archie and other stakeholders in the criminal justice system to convene a “Dole Chadee-type court” to prosecute businessmen Ishwar Galbarasingh and Steve Ferguson. Speaking to reporters after distributing toys and school supplies in Phillipine on Christmas Eve, Ramlogan said the businessmen have not escaped prosecution because of failed extradition proceedings. In fact, Ramlogan said instead of continuing with lengthy court delays, the Government has paved the way for both men to have their day in court.
“We must respect the independence of our own court system and the administration of criminal justice. I don’t think the Government is worried in this matter. It is not that Ish and Steve have escaped. It is just that they have to be brought before a court of law in the quickest possible time,” Ramlogan said. He added: “In fact, it is my hope that the Chief Justice and those stakeholders from the criminal justice system will convene a ‘Dole Chadee-type court’ on an ad hoc basis, having regard to the long meandering in this matter, and let the defendants have their day before a judge and jury. The time has come for that.” Ramlogan said the Government has spent more than $100 million since the businessmen were first charged in 2002.
“We would have spent more money and at the end of the day. If witnesses didn’t die there would have been fresh legal arguments on the grounds of the extent of pre-trial delay. At the end of it all, justice would not have been served,” Ramlogan said. He reiterated: “I think the criminal justice system would have taken a terrible blow and be brought into further disrepute if we had allowed this legal adventure to continue without any end in sight. The longest rope must have an end. The defendants have not been freed. What we have done is to clear the way for them to have a fair trial before a judge and jury in a court of law and let justice take its course, according to law.” Ramlogan also denied a newspaper editorial which stated that he had allowed Ferguson and Galbaransingh time to launch a legal challenge when he made his decision on a weekend.
He said when he was appointed the defendants had already been promised, in the form of a written commitment by the former AG, time to prepare themselves for legal challenges. “Former AG John Jeremie said that they will be given seven days proper notice so that they can challenge the decision. Our law is we must give them time to challenge before extradition, so whether I made the decision on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday, it simply did not matter,” Ramlogan said. He also denied that his refusal to appeal a high court judgment on the extradition issue had affected diplomatic relations with the United States. Ramlogan noted that T&T continues to share meaningful relations with the US. He also said that he was comfortable with his decision as he had acted in accordance with law.
“My heart is clean, my conscience is clear and my mind is satisfied because I acted in accordance with the law. It cannot make any sense to allow for legal adventures to continue in this matter where we have wasted almost a decade and spent more than $100 million in T&T with not a single day in court,” Ramlogan said. Regarding recent comments by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard that it would be challenging to pursue a case against the businessmen, Ramlogan said he had full confidence in T&T’s legal statement and did not want to comment further on the case as it was exclusively in the domain of the DPP.
