Headlines:
| British CCJ judge chided for political comments |
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| Friday, 03 July 2009 | |
 A British judge who sits on the Caribbean Court of
Justice (CCJ) is said to be in danger of losing his position over comments he
has made on political and constitutional matters in Trinidad and Tobago. Already the President of the CCJ and the country's law association have said that the judge stepped out of line in his remarks. Justice David Hayton made the offending comments in a newspaper interview. He told the reporter that in his opinion the office of the Prime Minister already held too much power. In this regard he said there should be no sort of creating an executive president who will have even more power from the present Prime Minister. The judge was also highly critical of Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday for the latter's refusal to support the Caribbean Court of Justice. Opposition support is needed for Trinidad to replace the British Privy Council with the CCJ. Two days after the comments were made; President of the CCJ Michael de la Bastide took out a full advertisement in the local newspapers to chide the judge. He said the judge had no right to be commenting on political and constitutional issues. The CCJ President however did not hint at taking any further action against Justice Hayton. There are reports though that Justice Michael de la Bastide has had conversation with the Attorney General on the matter. |