Ramesh: Justice system not working

In a release yesterday, Maharaj said the decision of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council to free Deochand Ramdhanie demonstrates that the justice system needs to be fixed.

According to Maharaj, "Every system makes errors but the justice system must ensure that adverse effects of those errors are maintained. We have not done that in Trinidad and Tobago," said Maharaj.

Maharaj said the adverse effects of the errors made in the Ramdhanie case could have been avoided if the Court of Appeal had corrected these errors. Those adverse effects, he said, could have also been avoided if our system did not encourage inordinate delays in having the case decided. The Ramdhanies spent more than nine years in custody while the courts and the appeal processes were being completed.

The former attorney general said the case demonstrates the fact that urgent steps must be taken to expedite the hearing and determination of cases in both High Court and the Court of Appeal. It also shows that judgments outstanding for three months and more in both courts must be delivered.