Court shutdown continues in south

EMPLOYEES of the San Fernando Magistrate’s Court continued sick-out action yesterday, staying away from their jobs and forcing members of the public to be denied justice. Only seven of the courthouse’s 32 employees turned up for work. The four presiding magistrates were forced to only sit for a short period yesterday morning. The sick-out action is being taken by clerks, magistrates, note-takers, baliffs, administrative clerks and counsellors to protest the deplorable conditions of the courthouse. Magistrates were forced to adjourn hundreds of charge cases. But hardest-hit were persons who turned up at the courthouse yesterday morning, many of them women. They were unable to collect maintenance monies for the upkeep of their children paid into the court by their fathers. The Registry department remained locked for the entire day yesterday, preventing persons (fathers) from paying maintenance monies based on orders of the court.

Yesterday, acting senior magistrate Ramraj Harripersad was forced to postpone some 70 alimony and domestic violence cases filed by women. Harripersad, who is president of the Magistrates’ Association of Trinidad and Tobago, confirmed to Newsday yesterday that the gates to the court’s administration officers remained closed to the public yesterday.
On the issue of the court’s conditions, Harripersad said: “I’m not against the evolution of Caribbean jurispudence via the establishment of the Caribbean Court of Appeal but we have to ensure that the common man gets justice.”  He added: “Of the 60 cases on my list, 55 involved application for maintenance and domestic-related cases. Seven members of staff broke ranks apparently, and worked in the court until 5 pm yesterday in order to ensure the public was served.” Attorney General Glenda Morean toured the building earlier this year along with Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls. Appalled by the conditions Morean promised attention in transferring the courts to another building until the courthouse was re-built.

A committee was subsequently appointed and was headed by the Chief Administrative Officer of the Judiciary. The committee was mandated to find alternative accommodation for the court. A building was allocated to temporarily house the courthouse, but the transfer was not done. President of the Magistrate Association, Ramraj Harripersad, who himself is based at the San Fernando Court told Newsday that staff members have had enough and “just could not take it anymore.” Employees at the courthouse said that apart from a leaky roof, court staff, prisoners and members of the public have to endure a daily shower of pigeon droppings. There is no air-conditioning, toilet facilities are bad and the court staff’s lunch-room is caked with grime and dirt. Attorney Subhas Panday former vice-president of the Criminal Bar Association said that blame should be levied solely on the court’s administration unit and Attorney General Morean.