Lawyers plan protest in Grenada - Step up demand for improvements in the justice system

The Grenada Bar Association (GBA) is to lead a protest of lawyers in the island tomorrow as they step up demand for improvements in the justice system.

President of the GBA Lisa Taylor yesterday told The Sunday Gleaner that the lawyers decided to stage a sit-down at the car park of the Supreme Court Registry to protest the continued state of affairs in the justice system and to call on the Government to come up with an urgent plan to comprehensively address all of the issues.

According to Taylor, the lawyers are prepared to take further action.

"It is the start of a process. We initially gave a deadline which passed on December 31. We are considering other options, but we want to show the Government that we are not giving up on the matter. They have not treated the matter with the seriousness it deserves," said Taylor.

SUPPORT

She argued that while members of the private Bar might not join the protest, it does not mean that they do not support it.

"I know that privately they support the matter but they can't be involved in the degree that they would want to be involved," added Taylor.

She said following a complete shutdown of all criminal and civil high courts in Grenada last May, the GBA gave the Government until December 31, 2018 to provide suitable accommodations to collectively house all high courts and ancillary services.

The minister for legal affairs later assured the public that plans were well under way for the Government to acquire the RBTT building on Gore Street, St George's, for that purpose.

"Reliable information subsequently reached the Bar that about October, the Government was outbid for the purchase of that building by a credit union.

"The deadline given by the Bar has come and gone and finds us in Grenada with only one operational criminal high court and a temporary civil high court housed in the Grenada Parliament, which functions subject to the parliamentary schedule.

"This is increasing the backlog of cases and the ability of litigants to access justice in some cases," said Taylor.

She argued that the facts point to a crisis in the entire judicial system which threatens public confidence in this system, public order, good governance and the economic and social life of the country.

"The Grenada Bar contends that the authorities have not demonstrated with sufficient urgency and action that they accept that there is such a crisis, that they intend to deal with this crisis once and for all," said Taylor.