Lucky: Use foreign jurors

POINTE-A-PIERRE MP Gillian Lucky suggested that high-profile court cases should use foreign jurors who would not fear for the safety of their families. She said while jurors are themselves given police protection, in the Dole Chadee case some potential jurors had expressed fear for the safety of their  families. “For certain cases maybe we need foreign jurors.” She approved the locating of the Chadee trial in Chaguaramas, and said that likewise maybe high-profile cases from Trinidad could be sent to Tobago for trial and vice-versa. She even suggested that the definition of “foreign” jurors who might be brought to Trinidad to adjudicate trials could include Tobagonians.  She said the former UNC government had passed an Act in 1996 for a witness protection programme, but the PNM Government had failed to implement it.

Remarking on the anti-crime laws announced by Attorney General John Jeremie last Monday, she said that Tuesday had seen a kidnapping and a shooting. She charged, “The Government has been allowed to intermingle, interface, and embrace the criminal element.” She accused the Government of playing politics with crime, and said that political squabbling was getting the country nowhere. Lauding the operations of the Family Court, in contrast to the Criminal Court, she charged, “The Government is not committed to providing security for all citizens.” Lucky made several suggestions to improve court procedure, including use of tape recorders to record proceedings in court like Australia and establishing a drug court to help rehabilitate addicts like Canada.