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AG: "I Can't Make Judges Resign"

posted (November 6, 2008)
And while the special agreement, the referendum, and the possibility of a trip to the ICJ will require monumental patience – as much as 5 years - the Bar Association’s members says they shouldn’t have to wait that long for a judgment from the Supreme Court of Belize.


As we first reported, the Bar Association has requested that the Attorney General Wilfred Elrington, as the titular head of the bar, demand that justices of the supreme court deliver forthwith judgments that have been inexplicably delayed for 5 years.


But A.G. Elrington today told us that because of the separation of powers between the Judiciary and the Executive, he can’t demand anyone’s resignation

Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Attorney General
“I don’t believe that I have the authority to instruct the judges or to invite to ahm resign form office if in fact they are not delivering judgments. It’s a serious situation I think realty it’s a matter that the Chief Justice should deal with."

" Actually what they are suggesting is that I invite them to resign as a member of the bar because I am supposed to be the titular head of the bar so it’s in reality a formality, but in terms of having real power to, as it were, discipline them, I don’t think that the attorney General has that power at all,. This is a situation that has been with us for many, many years now; it’s not anything new, From the time I started practicing we have had judges who have not been functioning. I am practicing for how many years? At least 30. Yeah, 30 years. So the practice, the situation is getting worse and I think the Bar Association should have sought to address it long before now. Take government to task, ensure government appoint competent, capable people.”

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