The controversy surrounding the appointment of a judge to hear the 2019 election petitions filed by the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) has taken yet another twist.
Less than one week after giving directions to the lawyers involved in the case, Justice Eddy Ventose has recused himself from the matter.
Last week, lawyers for the petitioners and the respondents appeared via Zoom before the St. Kitts-based high court judge to whom the matter was assigned by the Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Janice Perreira.
Justice Ventose was given the assignment after resident judge Bernie Stephenson had recused herself and Attorney General, Levi Peter, had written to the Chief Justice asking that Dominican-born resident judge, Wynante Adrien Roberts, not be assigned to do that matter because she had previously worked in the public service as Solicitor General.
However, after giving directions and setting July 7, 2020, as the date to hear applications from the lawyers, concerns were raised by some lawyers and members of the public who argued that Justice Ventose ought not to hear the matter since, less than two years ago, he worked in the office of the attorney general in Dominica as a legal advisor.
A group of lawyers who branded themselves as “concerned lawyers” have written to the Chief Justice objecting to the suggestion by Peters that Justice Adrien-Roberts would be unsuitable to preside because she “would be familiar with persons who are interested in these petitions and applications to strike”, a move they say, is not dissimilar in intent, from the “surreptitious maneuvering” that he accused the opposition of doing in respect of Justice Stephenson.
On the issue of Justice Ventose working in the office of AG as an advisor, Astaphan SC said that he did work with the attorney general’s chambers in Dominica three years ago.
“I was not at the case management conference and don’t know if he said anything about it. But I asked the AG about that and based on what he said to me I did not think there was a basis for any recusal I don’t know his reasons why,” he said.
He said given advice in a professional capacity to a government 3-4 years ago cannot affect the impartiality of the judge.
Good article DNO keep it up!
@Anon
Your response is vacuous at best. The AG went shopping for a judge to do the bidding of the maladministration as Justice Roberts CANNOT be bought. The good lady judge has an impeccable record.
The reasons the AG gave for not wanting the Dominican born luminary to sit on the case border on absurdity.
A dangerous precedent has been set by this obnoxious regime. Any government in the Eastern Caribbean can now shop for a judge of their liking.
Stop the blindness Ibo France, it was the UWP who started the judge shopping expidition when they accused Judge Stephenson of bias, threatened her forcing her to recuse herself. So your UWP has now given itself the authority to decide which judge should hear their cases and the other parties must have no say.
Anon,
Everyone has a right to his/her opinion including you. However, one should not state UnTRUTHS
If you can give me just one piece of EVIDENCE that Bernie said that the UWP caused her to recuse herself from the case, then I will stop commenting on this platform.
You ARE aware that she gave NO REASONS.
Don’t make yourself a public laughing stock just because you support a political party!!🤣😂😁🙈🤔
HOTEP!
I wonder what UWP. Expect from this is it that they think they have a chance to win and run the country? I wish them luck they spend so much time in court and always loosing
they not learning their lesson.
Thanks.
All you taking special of my mistake….. but won’t see de blunder from de AG and de talking head SC.
I man enuff to accept when I blunder.
Is Ventos recusing himself because of pressure from de insignificant us?
Or is he standing on his moral high ground
Seriously, this is an election matter and de government acts immaturely. Now look who has eggs all over their faces.
Desperate minds!!!
De mere fact that the matter is a 5 year old election issue says a lot. If de government really thought it was innocent against the charges of treating then that case should have left the court already with Skerrit grinning from ear to ear.
De double standard attitude of de AG stood out…de guy threw our own local judge wynante under the bus while ventose suffered from the same vice.
Dem guys looking for mercenaries to win their war for Dem.
@ dissident, that how uniformed and political bias you are. This is a 2019 election petition, it is not a 5 year old matter. It is the UWP who started this matter of trying to decide which judge should hear the case when they intimidated judge Stephenson into recusing herself. So do you expect the other side to sit back and do nothing?
@Anon, you responded for me, so I won’t bother responding to that comment.
But it is worrying to see the number of people who agree with that comment; it shows that those people are not reading what is written to them, including the “dissident person”. December to June is only 5 months, where did 5 years come from? What is that person talking about?
Can we imagine people like that partaking in serious decision making? O dear!
u didnt read either? He said it is NOT a 5 year old matter. My opinion is that whether it is or isnt insnt the matter. It is relevant, therefore important to set a precedence for which we can go forward with dignity as a nation. the judge would have been bias as he has worked with the government and its high level officials in the very recent past. plain and simple. So the recuse is required.
The legal matters to be heard (once a Judge is identified) are the petitions from the 2019 election (as the article states in the first sentence). These are not the matters arising from the 2014 election which have been directed back to the Magistrates Courts.
I agreeand that Dissident behind the times. This case is the Dec. 2019 election.
So all those labour judges recusing themselves and Tony and Skerrit don’t want an independent Robert? Well Tony will have to give Inspector Mills a little brushup like a night school and have Skerrit to appoint him as chief justice so he could hear the case.
Well that inspector need more than a brush up, he well tarnished.
Take that Tony and who are you going to blame for the Judge recusing himself. I am also waiting to hear from the Bar Association. What has it got to say now? This double recusal by two judges leaves the legal system in poor light, in the eyes of the public, who have reason to not fully trust the Caribbean Court of Appeals. Seems like based on the outlandish behavior of the Skerritt government, these judges don’t want to go down in history as being the ones to rule against the government. Just people expect that those judges would want to do their jobs without fear or favor, however, this seems to be a” parrot ” statement which they have been repeating to poor people’s children. Now our eyes are opening and the judicial system knows it. Let’s see how long these Pontius Pilates will run and duck for cover. Justice delayed is justice denied.
Senior Counsel, what is wrong with your head?? You know that Mrs Roberts worked in the AG’s office some time ago; much less recent than Justice Ventose. It’s not 3 years. His involvement ended in July 2018, not even 2 years, yet you see nothing wrong with the AG writing that Mrs Roberts should not sit on the case but find no reason why Justice Ventose recused himself. Let me tell you why: Ventose concluded that if Mrs Roberts was “unfit”, he was ” more unfit”.
To Justice Ventose I say well done. You are sufficiently intelligent and legally astute to know that you should not commit “legal suicide” as all the money in the world would not be able to wash the stain from your good name and credibility.
Now the SC and the AG along with the Chief justice have brought the entire East Caribbean machinery of justice into disrepute.
Tony, please stop it because you know better 😉😉🤗.
HOTEP!
It’s a set up to keep Alibaba in power longer. Let’s not fool ourselves people. Alibaba and his forty thieves had top people all over to help him steal and stay safe as he stole. Alibaba may have had top fellow thieves in the police department, in the judiciary, in the Supreme Court of the land that day and just about in every department. So while it was Alibaba that knew how to open the gate to steal he must have had his people in place to tell him how to steal, when to steal, what to steal and where to steal. My people the story we are well familiar with is about a gang of thieves and that’s why it is about Alibaba and his forty thieves. But this time I feel Alibaba knows his time is up this time and it’s just a mattertter of time so he just stealing time this time
@Anon
Justice Roberts has never being accused of any malpractice or anything untoward. What is the DLP’s problem? I know. TRUTH❗❗
Dominica will fall apart if the whole TRUTH about this maladministration is unearthed.
@ ibo france, the truth for you is what satisfied your political concience. The AG did not tell the truth why Judge Roberts is not suited to sit on this matter, the reason given is at best laughable. To make even worse all the players know the real reason but skilfully pretent that they don’t know. If it were any other government in office faced with this situation they would have advised their AG to take similar action as for the most part petty politics is what is practiced in Dominica.
Why not get a judge from the United States of America. That is being very impartial. He does not know where Roseau lies far less for what is up Lennox Linton’s sleeves.
The frequency with which prosecutors are dropping out from this case begins to feel similar to the situation with the African American brother, Ahmaud Arbery, who was murdered by some of the most extreme racists like those from the state of Georgia in the US, not to be confused with the Nation.
Well maybe dat bloke Frank N Stein (Frankenstein) would feel differently, because Ventose was born in Martinique and grew up in St Lucia which would make him a Caribbean African, Martinican, St Lucian national.
The DLP is not in favour of Justice Wynante Roberts hearing the elections petitions. I wonder why.
The level of distrust is worrying…bordering on paranoia.
This Justice is the most controversial judge in the Caribbean. Anyone who has worked for the Skerrit led government and closely with Tony Astaphan CANNOT be fair or good.
How this individual was put in this position puzzles me. In my honest opinion, most of his decisions are heavily laced with political bias.
Justice and fairness at the courts in the Eastern Caribbean has been given a black-eye by appointments such as this man.
All of our once revered institutions and trusted systems,specifically in the Eastern Caribbean, have been desecrated and vandalized with dubious appointments and corruptible people. ( judiciary, PM office, police force, parliament, AG office, etc.)
God is not sleeping. No wicked or unjust act goes unpunished.
The UWP is in favor of justice Wynant Roberts hearing this matter. I wonder why?
Because she is deemed impartial. Or as they say in DLP circles, she didn’t accept Skerrits envelope!
And do you also wonder why labour doesn’t want her and why what is good or not good for the gander is good for the goose? Why Tony sees no problem with the Lucian judge who also worked with levy Peter. Good help us when even the officers of the law have lost confidence in the judicial system, a system which is meant to protect the public and deliver justice. The
I think that is a wise decision by Judge Ventose obviously he still has the prospect of a promising career ahead of him and does not want this to be soiled through association with questionable characters. He does not want to jeopardise his career like that and for what and for whom and that includes his reputation as a university lecturer in law. Just imagine his students questioning him about that case all the time. No,no, no that potato just too hot.
Eddy Ventose was here in Dominica less than two years ago so what Lil Willy Tony is saying is absolute;y false, the man was with the Attorney General Chambers somewhere about early last year!