Judiciary remains independent -Minister Harmon

DPI/GINA, Guyana, Friday, June 9, 2017

The independence of the judiciary was reiterated today by Minister of State Joseph Harmon. The minister made this clear at the post Cabinet press briefing, in response to a query about the “an apparent rift between a magistrate and the Director of Public Prosecutions’ office.”

Minister Harmon stated that, “The Judiciary is independent so is the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and there are laws under which the Magistrate’s act and laws under which the DPP acts.” He added that the matter will be played out in some way “since whatever jurisdiction allows for the magistrate to act or the Director of Public Prosecutions, to act, I believe that is really what is happening and I think that eventually the matter will be played out in some way that is in the interest of law and justice.”

Minister Harmon refused to go beyond this, to comment on what he feels or thinks should happen because those are matters that are within the domain of the judiciary and the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Regan ‘Grey Boy’ Rodrigues remains in police custody at the Diamond Police Station, East Bank Demerara (EBD), even though he was acquitted three times for the murder of political activist, Courtney Crum-Ewing, who was shot dead on March 10, 2015.

On Wednesday, City Magistrate Judy Latchman upheld the decision she made at the end of the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) on June 05, 2017, when she discharged the case against Rodrigues on the grounds that there is insufficient evidence for him to be committed to the  High Court for trial. This was against a directive issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, who instructed that the case be sent to a judge and jury.

 

By: Paul McAdam