President says ‘High Court drama’ will be resolved soon

Head of State, President David Granger, is confident that the recent confrontation between Attorney General Basil Williams and High Court Judge Justice Franklin Holder will be resolved soon.

“I’m satisfied that the matter would be resolved very soon,” he told reporters during the weekly televised programme ‘The Public Interest’, aired on Friday evening on the State-owned National Communications Network (NCN).

During the programme, the President was asked whether he had gotten a formal response from the Attorney General about the incident, and he responded in the positive, but noted that it was not a written response.

The Head of State added that he had received “formal questions” from acting

Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, and had asked Williams to respond.

“I spoke with him and…he explained what occurred, which is quite different from what some elements of the media reported,” the President stated.

The March 23 issue between the Attorney General and Justice Holder stemmed from an exchange which caused the judge to storm out of the courtroom without adjourning the proceedings that were before him. The following day, Justice Holder formally informed the Chancellor of the Judiciary that he had abruptly walked out of the courtroom last Thursday because of statements made by the Attorney General.

He quoted the AG as saying, “I could say what I

want to say and however I want to say it, I have always been like that… The last Magistrate who did that to me was later found dead.”

The Judge said in his complaint — which has since been leaked to the public — that after hearing the AG utter these words, “I rose from the Bench and went into my Chambers. I did not adjourn the matter, nor did I give any instructions to the parties. I recognise Mr. Williams’ behaviour as I have related to be insulting, disrespectful, and calculated to scandalise and lower the authority of the Court in the face of the Court. Mr Williams’ behaviour was highly contemptuous and deserving of him being cited for contempt in the face of the Court. Instead of doing so at the moment, I chose to leave the Bench.”

Despite the Judge clearly stating that the Attorney General’s behaviour had caused him to walk off the Bench, Williams is holding out that he is not to be blamed for what had happened. In fact, the Attorney General has even defended his actions and his statements. He believes that the Judge fell prey to “transferred frustration” as a result of defence attorney in the matter, Anil Nandlall’s, “barracking” of nearly three hours during the proceedings.

Williams is also insisting that his comment was not a threat, and he has refused to apologise to the Judge, saying to reporters at a subsequent press conference, “I don’t know about apology” and that “…the Judge and I will resolve the issue.” He

has, moreover, threatened to sue.

However, the High Court judge has said in his complaint that he felt disrespected by the Attorney General’s behaviour and has called for an apology in open court.

“I am not prepared to sit and hear Mr Williams as an attorney-at-law in any matter whatsoever, unless he makes a genuine and meaningful apology to my satisfaction, in open court, both to me and to members of the Bar, since they, too, were scandalised by his despicable conduct,” the High Court judge outlined in his complaint, which has since been made public.

Acting Chancellor Cummings-Edwards told reporters earlier last week that she is in receipt of information about the matter and is it is being “addressed”.