Judicial and Legal Services Commission would take up ‘worst-case scenario’

While the Attorney General, upon his return to the country, has spoken with the Chief Justice, he had anticipated a similar conversation with attorney Priscilla Banner, President of the Bar Association.  Peyrefitte is confident that Benjamin will complete his task in the weeks ahead; nonetheless, he walked us through the course of action that the bar would have to pursue in a worst case scenario.

Michael Peyrefitte, Attorney General

“I hope to speak to the President of the Bar today as well, to assure her that the Chief Justice has indicated to me that that’s his goal and I do not think that it is something for him to resign over.  I just think that it is something that he needs to get done and he reassured me, will get done.”

Isani Cayetano

“Should the ninety-day period elapse and a majority of these decisions aren’t handed down, worst case scenario here, what procedures can be followed, either by the bar to go through the Judicial {& Legal] Services Commission to have the CJ step down?”

Michael Peyrefitte

Michael Peyrefitte

“To tell you the truth, I don’t even want to contemplate that as a scenario.  But I think, if come ninety days from now a significant number of those judgments are not done with or not delivered then I think the Chief Justice being the man that he is, I think he would need nobody to tell him then that we would be in a very serious situation at that point.  I don’t want to think that that will happen.  I want to think that there will be a significant number of those judgments to be written and sent for the lawyers to know.  That’s my hope, that’s my expectation, so we can put this matter behind us.  He doesn’t wear it with any kind of badge of honor.  He knows it’s an issue and he knows it has to get done.  Other than that, I am glad to see, as I said earlier, that the bar has decided to back off; because indeed, even if they had come to that resolution it doesn’t mean that the matter ends there.  It would have to go before the Judicial and Legal Services Commission.  This is just to answer your question, this is not to imagine a scenario playing out at all.  This is a scenario I hope does not play out and I expect to not play out.  You’ll go before the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, of which the Chief Justice is the chair with a casting vote, and then that body then would make a decision to forward to the Belize Advisory Council.  The Belize Advisory Council would then advise the prime minister as to what course of action should be taken.  But, like I said, it’s a procedure I don’t even want to imagine.”