C.C.J. Judge Rips G.O.B. a New One

Of the five judges who presided over the appeal, the written judgment rendered by Justice Peter Jamadar is perhaps the most cutting and a scathing rebuke of the government.  In a section of the ruling, titled Fatal Omissions, Justice Jamadar highlights that government failed to take any reasonable steps to try and resolve the issues with B.I.S.L. amicably.  Likewise, he characterizes government’s appropriation of both registries as unilateral, high-handed, arbitrary and inconsistent with the standards of good governance and, most tartly, as an abuse of state power. It reads, “Taken together these constitute a serious threat to, and undermining of, fundamental and core constitutional values and principles.  They also weaken the integrity of the legal system, especially if the government is permitted to enjoy exemption from its failure to comply with the rule of law obligations in this case.  And as well, left unaccounted for they diminish constitutional faith and public trust and hence democratic legitimacy.” Not only did Courtenay weigh in on the acerbic descriptions, he also questions whether there is misfeasance afoot since the people of Belize are left to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages for government’s unlawful acquisitions.

Eamon Courtenay

Eamon Courtenay, Attorney for B.I.S.L.

“I would urge you and urge Belizeans to go to the C.C.J. website and look at the judgment, read the judgment of Justice Jamadar who is extremely critical of this type of thuggish and roguish and illegal behavior that is characteristic of Dean Barrow. I think it is once again a very sad day for Belize where the Caribbean Court of Justice has used such strong language condemning the behaviour of the government, the unlawful, continuing unlawful behaviour of the government, and secondly which is just as important is the cost that the country of Belize is being called upon to pay because Mr. Barrow is taking these obviously unlawful decisions.  I mean, you know, one has to start to wonder whether there is some misfeasance here, whether somebody has to be held responsible for all of these hundreds of millions of dollars.  These are issues which will have to become live and the Belizean people will have to decide who pays for all of this.”

In Wednesday’s newscast, we will hear from Lord Michael Ashcroft on the C.C.J. ruling.