Move to jail PSC members for contempt

SIX PRISON OFFICERS took legal action Friday to have the Chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC) Kenneth Lalla and members of the Commission jailed for contempt of court. The prison officers, Charles Vernon Federick, Mukesh Pulliah, Shamshudeen Mohammed, Adrian Pascal, Wilbert Lovell and Kundan Nancoo, filed proceedings in the High Court against the Commissioners for contempt of court. The prison officers are contending that Lalla and the Commissioners refused to obey an order of Justice Mira Dean-Armorer made in September last year, to consider the prison officers’ promotion based on a recommendation of the Prison Commissioner. The contempt lawsuit was filed in the Sub-Registry, San Fernando, by attorney Anand Ramlogan.

The officers are seeking an order that Lalla and the Commissioners be committed to prison for contempt of court because of alleged breach of Justice Dean-Armorer’s judgment. The officers sought judicial review of the Commission’s refusal to consider them for promotion. They are now contending that since the judgment was delivered four months ago, their attorney Ramlogan enquired why the commission was yet to consider them for promotion. In an affidavit, the officers stated that they have been advised by their attorney that deputy Solicitor General Krishendeo Narinesingh had informed him that he (Narinesingh) had done all in his power to impress upon the Commissioners the importance of complying with the order.

The officers stated that the failure of the Commissioners has resulted in them missing opportunities of valuable training to enhance their promotion. They also stated that during the hearing of the case, the judge had ordered six vacant positions to be stayed in order to protect and preserve them. “We do not know whether the PSC had taken any steps to fill these vacancies as the stay is no longer in effect,” the prison officer stated. The application for contempt accused the Commission of stultifying their efforts to reap the fruits of their judgment. The contempt of court proceedings were served on each of the Commissioners at a meeting in Port-of-Spain — Lalla, Maurice St John, Sakal Seemungal, Gerard Pemberton and Neil Rolingson. The contempt of court lawsuit will come up for hearing next month before a judge in the San Fernando High Court.