Bz. Supreme Court opens with a bang
Every year, it’s a highlight of the judicial calendar as the ladies and gentlemen of the bench and bar present themselves in the official opening ceremonies of the Belize Supreme Court. While today’s proceedings stuck to tradition, the lingering cloud of the Meerabux case cast a dark shadow over the legal community. But first to the pomp and circumstance. News 5’s Ann-Marie Williams reports.
Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting
At the official opening of the 2002 judicial year of the Supreme Court, the men and women of the legal profession turned out in their black and whites, while the four sitting judges on the bench provided a bit of colour in their full regalia.
Amidst the fanfare, Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh and Police Commissioner Hughington Williams inspected a guard of honour mounted by the police force.
After the briefing ceremony, the Chief Justice got down to business, addressing members of the bench and bar on the past legal year and plans for the new one. Justice Conteh in his speech rallied for funding for the judiciary.
Abdulai Conteh, Chief Justice
“A modest sum of two million, five hundred and sixty-nine thousand, four hundred and eighteen dollars is allocated to the judiciary. This is out of a total national budget of three hundred and fifty million dollars, a hundred and forty-six thousand, five hundred and forty-three dollars. This figure I’m told, represents zero point seven three percent of the whole national budget. Yes, resources must be scare, but to skimp on the cost of the administration of justice, is I believe, and ill-advised option that we cannot afford. Without the proper administration of justice, society will be less stable and less free for its members to have the confidence to invest or to exact themselves in ways that will improve and enrich it.”
According to Attorney General Godfrey Smith, a comprehensive omnibus judiciary act, which will be tabled sometime this year, will certainly improve the system.
Godfrey Smith, Attorney General
“What we hope will happen, is that this judiciary act will cover things like conditions and terms of service for judges, remuneration, set in place a consultative mode of appointment for judges, deal with issues like pensions, insurance schemes, how judges are to be deployed, management of judicial time of judges, and things like that, to ensure that from basically every angle, we will have placed on a legislative footing, all the things needed to ensure that on a long term basis, we have made adequate provisions for the independence of the judiciary in Belize.”
Ann-Marie Williams for News 5.
Guests at today’s Supreme Court opening were Chief Justice of the State of Quintana Roo, Justice Lisbet Lason Encalada, the Deputy Attorney General and four judges.
