On Thursday an un-named columnist in The Belize Times questioned the reversal of a decision by the Chief Justice. As we reported, the CJ had first dismissed an application by the attorney for Chamber of Commerce to grant judicial review for a Cabinet decision, and then half an hour later, changed his ruling and granted the application.
The Belize Times argued that in the intervening half an hour, Opposition Leader Dean Barrow, acting as both politician and lawyer, persuaded the chief justice to make that review. It's a grave characterization of the conduct and integrity of the Chief Justice and one the CJ has taken none too lightly.
In a very rare press release from the registrar of the Supreme Court it says that the claims in the article are, "sad, and bear no relationship to the truth." The article claims that Chief Justice's decision came after young and Kaseke left his court when the Chief Justice reviewed the rules of the court, while Dean Barrow was waiting for another, unrelated, but similar matter to be heard.
The Registrar's release concludes that it is, "therefore a gross insult and an attack on the judiciary to say that the change of heart was dictated by the interference of the Leader of the Opposition." The Registrar releases channels the chief justice as saying that the article is an unwarranted and gratuitous slur on the judiciary and concludes that quote, "it is a sad day in Belize...to resort to such scurrilous innuendo."
It's a stern scolding, but in times of high political passions, we'd guess that the PUP party organ would be satisfied to have scored its points, and lucky enough to leave without a contempt charge.
