The trials of…

…Basil Williams
Let’s count the ways how Basil Williams can lose cases:(i)Failing to appeal an Appellate Court’s judgment within the prescribed period – and having the state shell out $446 million in favour of Dipcon.
(ii)In criticising the AG for failing to appeal in time, the CCJ said this was totally “unacceptable”!!
(iii) There was that presumably “open and shut” case against the former SWAT head for smuggling liquor. The Judge ruled that the case brought by Williams was ““unconstitutional, capricious, whimsical (and) irrational, based upon irrelevant and extraneous considerations, contrary to the rules of natural justice, unreasonable, unlawful, null, void and of no effect.”
Whew!! Williams finally boasted in Parliament – after being chastised by his predecessor for his abysmal record – that in 2018 he “only lost 68 cases!!
In some instances, he lost without even going to court – like when a businessman was paid $1.2 billion on a mere letter threatening litigation!! There was the case with GUYTRAC wherein he shelled out $224 million because he failed to follow up.
In all of these losing efforts, Williams proved to be a very sore loser. In one instance he even used threatening language to a sitting Judge – causing the man to leave the Bench, so as not to lose his temper. The Judge demanded an apology, which Williams never gave. He was later awarded silk by Granger for his “performances”!! Talk about devaluing an honour!!
In all of this pitiful fumferring, Williams never took any blame. Invariably, he’d lash out at his staff and office. Three Solicitors General and one Dep SG have quit in the three years he’s been in office. The Dep SG’s resignation came after a very public washing of the AG’s dirty linen in the public arena. The professional female lawyer pointed out that even though Williams blamed her for submitting pleadings that left out the names of one party – Opposition Leader Bharat Jagdeo – the documents had been approved by Williams, proving that he never even perused the legal briefs submitted under his name.
And that brings us to the matter that prompted your Eyewitness’s ire this good morning. The biggest constitutional case brought by the PNC-led coalition in their frantic efforts to save their skin after the NCM went against them in the High Courts. Williams, of course, appealed on behalf of the Government; but, once again, the names of Bharat Jagdeo and other parties were omitted, causing the decision to be delayed to be corrected.
When his bluster in court against the Judge failed to save his blushes, he rushed out and had loud words with the Solicitor General, Nigel Hawke, whom no one even knew was the SG!!
Slacker!!

 …SOCU’s origins
Folks have forgotten that SOCU – Special Organised Crime Unit – was established by the PPP to go after the drug lords and other “organised criminals”. The Opposition PNC/APNU and AFC had made quite a stink about those dastardly types infiltrating Government and doing all sorts of terrible deeds. So imagine when they came into office and transformed SOCU into a special attack squad to go after the PPP ex-officials!! In the meantime, the organised criminals are presumably laughing all the way to the bank!!
But like old people say, “payback’s a bitch”, especially when you try to use nasty means to accomplish putatively good ends.
The first SOCU mission we heard about was when an ARMY intelligence officer was assigned to shadow a NICIL official’s home and decided to tail a car leaving the home. In what became a high-speed chase, the poor officer crashed and died. Nobody talks about him.

…SOCU’s demise??
But other chickens are coming home to roost. First was news that the British “fraud Expert” Sittlington was setting up a private shop to feather his nest. He’s now fired! Then the chief investigator was discovered to have padded her resume. Another sacking.
Now we hear the head of the unit hasn’t been seen, and scads and scads of money’s missing??