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Ceremonial Court Opening Welcomes New AG Peyrefitte
posted (January 16, 2017)
There's one day in every year that downtown Belize city stands still to witness the ceremonial opening of the Supreme Court. That's the second Monday in January, a decades old tradition that attempts to give the judiciary some palpable public presence. Today, the veteran Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin welcomed two newcomers to the event: New Attorney General Mike Peyrefitte, and new President of the Bar Priscilla Banner. Alex Courtenay reports.

Alex Courtenay reporting
As tradition dictates, on the second Monday of January, the ceremonial re-opening of the Supreme Court is held. Today, members from every sector of the judiciary gathered at the St. John's Anglican Cathedral for a church service. Following the service, Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin led his fellow Supreme Court judges, governors, and members of the Bar Association, in a procession to the Supreme Court building.

After inspection of the Guard of Honor, the crowd followed the Chief Justice to his court room for his formal address, where he began by reporting on the important judicial statistics from 2016...

Kenneth Benjamin - Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
"An aggregate of 781 claims were filed in the civil division during 2016. To this must be added a 366 divorce partitions filed of these 706 claims were taken to disposition and 342 divorce decrees were granted. In this regard the civil division has enjoyed the satisfactory case filing to case disposition ratio. Criminal division: In January 2016 the criminal procedures rules were brought in to force ushering in the concept of case management. The efficacy of these rules is dependent upon a paradigm shift in the culture of how criminal matters are process in the criminal justice system. Much time has been devoted to training of the main participants in the criminal matters and the sensitization of other stakeholders and allied enforcement agencies such as for instance, Customs Belize Defense Force, Coast Guard, Social Security, Fisheries Department and GST. These efforts will continue as long as it takes to entrench the ethos of case management. The new criminal procedures rules are applicable to new matters. However, the judges and magistrates are encourage to apply the principle of the older principles to the older cases in the system."

After assessing the number of civil and criminal cases filed last year and how they were handled, the Chief Justice emphasized the necessity for dealing with the extremely high number of criminals on remand in prison…

Kenneth Benjamin - Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
"As of December 31st 2016, the population of persons awaiting trial in the central prison stands at 475. Of that number, 146 have been in custody for in excess of 2 years. 249 inmates or 52 percent are charged for murder. It remains the serious caused for concern that the remand population is disproportionately high. In an effort to address this situation, I have sought from the attorney generals ministry, budgetary support in the new financial year 2017-2018 for the engagement of 3 additional judges for the criminal division for a fix period with a view to tackling the cases that are outstanding for more than 2 years."

In her first opening of the Court address, President of the Bar Pricilla Banner fortified the Association's commitment to ensuring that the judiciary works in a good manner, and noted the Bar's dissatisfaction with the speed at which judgments were handed down in the last year.

Priscilla Banner - President of the Bar Association
"The Bar will seek to protect the independence and impartiality of the judiciary and will do so vigorously. but it also cannot be lost on us that Bar has an objective in accordance with its legal profession act to promote assist and ensure the proper administration of justice and unceasingly to watch over and protect the civil liberties of people, in the same way that the Bar seeks to protect the judiciary it must with passion ensure the proper administration of justice and the protection of civil liberties. One element of this is that the Bar must seek to promote the proper respect for the courts. The Bar's duty to the promote such respect is made easy when the administration of justice is conducted properly and is beyond reproach. Can we say with conviction that our courts are completely beyond reproach in so far as the delivery of judgments is concerned. I dare say the answer is a humble, no."

Michael Peyrefitte, the recently sworn in Attorney General, made it clear that his office would employ a more open door policy than his predecessors, and committed himself to improving the judicial system during his tenure.

Michael Peyrefitte - Attorney General
"If there is one message that I want us to get from me is that from this day on the attorney generals door is open. Wide open. Open for good ideas and for people who will take action and not just talk. For too long some of us has criticized the status quo, but refused to be a part of changed. So I don't want any more senior council to tell me we need more and better judges without telling me that they are offering themselves to sit on the bench and serve this nation. I don't want any attorney to say that the attorney generals ministry is not properly staffed and qualified without telling me that he or she is prepared to go and work there and provide us with the help in the law revision unit and legislative drafting and even litigation. There is no room my lord for any more actors and pretenders. My lord if you would allow me one more proposal, I see there is much need to for crucial reform in an area where some would say it's a king to incarceration. That is the practice and procedure for divorce proceedings. if 2 consenting adults my lord can be present for justice of the peace and be instantly married then why can't those same 2 consenting adults be present again before the justice of the peace and be instantly divorce. Why wait 3 years to start a process that will take another 6 months if the 2 adults have made up their minds. Why suffer through extensive bureaucracy that was never attendant upon marriage. Of course then my lord the whole question of division of matrimonial property and custody of children can be dealt with separately. My lord, these proposals require no extra finance or special circumstances. Only initiative and a willingness to contribute. I am here, I am ready to work and I invite all members of the bench and Bar, especially senior members to engage me with suggestions and ideas that would improve our system."

The Chief Justice also noted the strides that had been made in opening a new Family Court in San Ignacio that would act as the gold standard for other courts in Belize, as well as the development of a Drug Treatment Court.

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