A.G. clarifies comments made at 2009 Supreme Court opening

Wilfred Elrington

So did Elrington apologize when he said openly in court today that he humbly begged “That any unhappy remark I made be attributed solely to inadvertence, ignorance and perhaps inexperience?” Well, we asked him afterwards what he meant.

Marion Ali

“You offered an apology to the CJ referring to last year’s comments made.  I think some of it also had to do with the perception that you mentioned of some people taking offence.  There was a press release during the year I think from the Judiciary as well and so there seemed to have been a back and forth between your office and the judiciary.  Is that all behind you now?”

Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington, Attorney General

“Well it was never in front of me.  When I gave my speech in January of last year that was all I said.  There was a suggestion later on when that when the Bar Association took action against another judge, that I had something to do with it.  That was not so at all at all.  I didn’t even know of it.  And in the first case it was the Bar Association who called on the Attorney General to take action against the judges. So it was never initiated by me but that was something initiated by the Bar Association.  But as a politician you go along the street and you hear comments being made about the system and during the course of that speech I made reference to some of those comments.  Unfortunately, when it was reported the suggestion was that it was originating from me. Apparently nobody took note of the fact that I said it was being said.  It wasn’t actually being said by me.  So I thought it necessary to clarify that.  What I want to say I have no difficulty saying and if I don’t say something, I have no difficulty trying to clarify.”