After only seven weeks as a sitting Judge on the Court of Appeal, Justice Franz Parke has resigned.
A press release from the Government says, quote, "The Office of the Prime Minister is in receipt of a copy of a letter sent to the Governor General… Sir Colville Young by Justice of Appeal Franz Parke in which he tendered his resignation… with immediate effect." End quote.
You'll remember him as the judge whose appointment was controversial because the Opposition and the social partners opposed it. They said he wasn't qualified.
Opposition Leader John Briceño even took out a lawsuit against the Government, and it appears that Parke's decision to step down was influenced by that. The Government press release says, quote, "The Office of the Prime Minister understands that Justice Parke made his decision in order to spare the Court any exposure that a trial on the issue of his tenure would create." End Quote.
The PUP was the first to react to the news, releasing a statement welcoming the resignation. And this evening, Briceño invited the press to his office - to take a sort of victory lap:
John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"This is no time for celebration or for gloating that we had a win over the Prime Minister. I think we should never reach to a point where we are challenging the Prime Minister's appointments to either the Supreme Court or to the court of appeal. But saying that, I want to welcome the news that Justice Frank Parke has tendered his resignation as a justice for the court of appeal. I think that he did the right thing. At the same time I also want to thank all the social partners - the Belize Bar Association, the Belize Chamber of Commerce, the Unions and all the social partners who jointly were expressing grave concern that the Prime Minister decided to appoint his former school mate from law school. A person that was obviously not properly qualified for the job, but yet the Prime Minister, despite all the concerns that were being raised decided that he is going to do as he wishes."
"Even to the point where I as the Leader of the Opposition wrote him in two occasions raising the concerns and took out an actual lawsuit. The Prime Minister decided that he was going to ram thorough this disappointment."
Reporter
"Doesn't this vacuum essentially put the Prime Minister as well as the opposition in the same shoe? In the sense that he can once again appoint anyone of his choosing and we have the same scenario played out over again?"
John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"Well I am hoping that the Prime Minister eat a little bit of humility and to try to do something that he hasn't been doing for a long time, the right thing. That he would try to identify a judge that we believe would meet the standards that is expected from members from the court of appeal."
Daniel Ortiz, reporter
"I've sat in the court of appeal many times and a concern that has been raised by the president Manual Sosa is that they are under siege by the number of cases. We've decreased the number of judges who can take those cases into hearings by 1) that's going to have a real-time effect."
John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"You have to do things right. Not because there is this need or urgent need you are just going to throw anybody in there. We can't do that. We are talking about providing justice in this country and we have to ensure that we should never second guess the judges in our court system."
The PUP's press release on Parke's resignation says, quote, "We are grateful that Mr. Parke, in the end, demonstrated the moral fortitude, respect and regard for the Court and the country which, unfortunately, Mr. Barrow did not." End Quote.
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