Attorney asks Berbice magistrate to apologise to his client or resign

Attorney-at-law Charrandass Persaud yesterday asked Magistrate Renita Singh to apologise to his client or resign after he claimed that based on orders from the magistrate, his client who is not part of an ongoing case, was ordered to sit on the bench for a long period of time.

Initially, the media was not allowed in the courtroom at the Reliance Magistrate’s Court since it was an in-camera matter. However, the magistrate later granted Persaud’s request to have media operatives be allowed to enter the court for the case in relation to his client.

Persaud then questioned why his client was arrested when she is not part of the ongoing matter before the court. He said it is the woman’s son who is involved in the matter regarding issues relating to the maintenance of his children.

The attorney then explained that the magistrate, at the previous hearing, ordered that his client sit on the bench and later instructed that the woman return to court yesterday.

According to the attorney, the police threatened the woman “telling her what will happen if she did not attend court today.” He then questioned, “This court ordered her arrest when she does not even have a matter here, what right does the court have to arrest her?”

“Madam, I am asking that you apologise for the arrest of this woman or you resign,” he added.

Magistrate Singh then indicated that she only wished to ask the woman the whereabouts of her son, which was done. After the woman responded that she did not know, the magistrate indicated that that was all she wanted from the woman.

The attorney called once more for the magistrate to apologise or step down but after nothing happened, Persaud said to his client, “Your arrest just seemed to have washed away like that.”

A visibly upset Persaud then indicated to his client that she should return home, since it is unlikely that she would receive an apology.