Justice or injustice?

THE EDITOR: With reference to an article on the above-mentioned subject appearing in the issue of the Newsday dated March 21 2003, I am requested by the Honourable Chief Justice to inform you as follows.

The Appellants, Kelvin Persad and Patrick Wellington were convicted on April 5, 2000 and sentenced on May 3 2000. They appealed on May 3, 2000. On April 15, 2002 the Summing Up in the matter under reference reached the Appeal Court. On June 11, 2002 the appeals were listed for hearing. This was the earliest possible hearing date that could have been assigned to the said matter as the lists for April 2002 and May 2002 were already closed. On July 26, 2002 the court gave its decision having reserved on June 11, 2002.

Additionally, the fact that the Summing Up of the learned trial Judge took almost two years to be made available to the Court of Appeal was attributable to (a) a tremendously high volume of work which falls to be done by the Court Reporting Section and (b) a critical shortage of personnel required to service the needs of that section. Finally, the appellants could not have been placed on bail because no application for bail pending appeal was made by either of them to the Court of Appeal.

V. Gonzalves
CLERK OF APPEALS
Court of Appeal