The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

BAR Association president Khalil Parker said Chief Justice Ian Winder has collaborated with the Bar Council to form a committee to draft a Judicial Complaints Procedure.

He said the procedure will be rolled out in the coming months.

As officials gathered to mark the opening of the legal year yesterday, he said the project shows a “shared commitment to transparent judicial accountability.”

Attorney General Ryan Pinder said last year that he supports a disciplinary system for the judiciary because judges should be held accountable for misconduct like everyone else.

“For years,” he said, “the country has suffered under a regime where judgements and decisions have been delayed unnecessarily in certain instances for years and years and years, which has a direct affect on those who are looking to get justice from the courts themselves. And it is inequitable. It is unfair. In the private sector, you would be terminated. You would not have a job.”

Mr Pinder, in an interview with reporters yesterday, reiterated his view, saying: “One of the significant reasons for the call for more disciplinary process for the judiciary has to do with delayed decisions being rendered and that causes a big problem with respect to both commerce, but also with respect to the administration of justice and reaching justice. And so, we look forward to having a discussion with that to see how it encourages more timely responses by the judiciary on their rulings, as well as a formal disciplinary framework.”