Khan, SC, shocked by PM’s statement that ‘justice favors criminals’

News

Enrique Rupert

57 minutes ago

Criminal Bar Association president Israel Khan SC said he was “totally shocked and flabbergasted” by the Prime Minister’s latest comments on the justice system.

At the Conversations with the Prime Minister forum on Thursday evening, Dr Rowley was highly critical of the justice system when it comes to bail being granted to those accused of serious crimes. These people, he said, then go out, get guns and commit crimes in a business that includes paying lawyers and posting bail.

“I am totally shocked and flabbergasted to hear the Prime Minister say that the justice system is biased in favor of the perpetrators and not the victims,” Khan said when contacted on Friday evening.

“He has been in charge of government for nine years, they would have predicted this problem and it didn’t start now, it started many years ago. I am very shocked that the Prime Minister has admitted that he does not didn’t know what to do to repair the system.

Khan said the issue of bail was not about “keeping people in prison”, but about ensuring that a person who is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, can access his freedom pending the legal process under a specific court order. terms. “The onus is on the state to prove that you are guilty.”

Khan said it was he and two other lawyers who years ago filed a request to have the murders categorized.

“This same PNM government created the Prescott Commission 25 or 28 years ago, it could be 30 years ago. Myself, along with Alice Yorke Soo-Hon and (Gilbert) Peterson, argued before the commission that murder was to be classified as first, second and third degree murder and to dismiss those charged with first degree murder.”

Khan said the issue of slow justice does not only affect TT, but the entire Commonwealth.

He highlighted many other problems facing TT, including the failure of the opposition and government to “sit down around the table and come up with plans”.

“What has happened is that crime is treated in isolation. Young people who join gangs generally come from a certain background.

“Where are the trade schools in this country? Where is the encouragement for national service? When are we going to give people remunerative and rewarding jobs instead of Cepep and URP jobs? Where is the reorganization TTPS? Why does the army not help the police in their joint patrols?

“What really makes me angry is that I never thought the Prime Minister would have said that. I still doubt he would have said that.

“If he’s talking about all these things, then he threw his hands up in the air and said, ‘Look, I can’t handle this and I don’t know what to do,'” Khan said.

He then asked Rowley: “If you can’t deal with the small percentage of people who commit crimes, then why are you in government?”

If you can’t handle the situation, he added, pass the prime ministership to someone else in the Cabinet and move on.

Khan said Rowley couldn’t blame anyone or everyone since “you’re in charge and you’ve finally admitted that you can’t handle the situation.” Pack your bags and go!”