Corporal Rohan James' reinstatement reversed pending appeal

Chairman of the Police Federation Corporal Rohan James will have to stay off the job arising from an order granted to Assistant Commissioner of Police Andrew Lewis.

The Court of Appeal in granting Lewis leave today to appeal, set aside the stay of interdiction granted to James by Supreme Court Judge Tara Carr.

Lewis, a respondent in the suit relating to James' interdiction, had filed an application for leave to appeal against the stay of interdiction.

The Court of Appeal in discharging the stay ordered that Lewis must file his appeal before January 31.

The court in granting leave formed the view that Lewis has a viable appeal and that the decision to inderdict a member of the police force may not be amenable to a stay of proceedings order.

The judges were Justice Patrick Brooks, President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Frank Williams and Justice Lorna Shelly Williams.

James was interdicted following comments he made in July last year at a funeral for a colleague.

James had criticised the Police High Command for not paying cops their overtime money. He has been granted leave by the Supreme Court to go to the Judicial Review Court to challenge the interdiction. In granting leave in November last year, the judge had also granted a stay of the interdiction so James could return to work.

King's Counsel Peter Champagne and attorney-at-law Neco Pagan are representing Lewis and were successful in having the stay discharged.

Attorneys-at-law Hugh Wildman and Duke Foote are representing James.

-Barbara Gayle

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