New DPP Lutchman Sooknandan reported to work yesterday and met with the media today. And public relations has to be a top priority because he's got a lot of fence mending to do with a community which has witnessed too many nolle pros cases to have real confidence in that office. Speaking with Jules Vasquez today, he explained what he'll do differently.
Lutchman Sooknandan, Director of Public Prosecutions
"I believe in hard work. I believe in up keeping rule of law. I believe in having your ears to the ground and to be as professional as one can be, having regard to the circumstances, and to be a leader to my crown counsels in all aspects because with my wealth of experience I do think I can make a difference."
Jules Vasquez,
Sir do you have any sense of what the public expects of this office, what are the public expectations of the DPP?
Lutchman Sooknandan,
"Yes. I do think they want somebody who they can see as doing his best to up keep the rule of law. Somebody they can say that confidence in."
Jules Vasquez,
The sense I get is that a large portion of the population wants that criminals are sent to jail, those who have hurt people are sent to jail, those who have broken the law, regardless of if they be blue collared criminals or white collared criminals. They want to see them prosecuted to the full extent of the law and successfully prosecuted.
Lutchman Sooknandan,
"That is correct what you are saying but I've just said it to another journalist, and I am going to say it to you, that not only office should bear the brunt of the assault to things that happen. The police have to step up their investigation techniques and the police and the DPP office must work in harmony. They do the investigations, they have to work in harmony and that is very important.
The Commissioner knows me and he knows what I stand for. He has already
sent a congratulatory message to me and he hopes to keep a meeting next week Wednesday and we are going to try our best to resolve some of the indifferences that they had."
Jules Vasquez,
The last DPP sent a directive, sent a number of directives we understand, that Superintendent Chester Williams be charged for harm. Will your office follow up on what your predecessor has already initiated?
Lutchman Sooknandan,
"Definitely we will follow up. We have to follow up most of the work that, the continuity of the office is of paramount importance. But I will have peruse the file thoroughly to make sure that when you put a case against a person, especially a senior superintendent, that you are not witch hunting, you have the evidence and if the evidence is there, you give the appropriate direction."
Jules Vasquez,
Ben Abou-Nehra is now charged for murder. Are you all prepared to go through
with a prosecution of murder for a man who defended his property, he claims?
Lutchman Sooknandan,
"Jules I would have to look at that file and make proper assessment of it to decide what course to take. I heard what you said. A lot of rambling has been going on about this particular individual. But up to now I have not read the file, this is the second day. But I will address that and do what the file reveals. If there is evidence for murder, then he will be tried for murder. If there is evidence for manslaughter, he will be tried for manslaughter."
Jules Vasquez,
What were your general impressions as an outsider of the administration of this office under Kirk Anderson, looking at what happened in court, what happened in the public eye, what happened in the media?
Lutchman Sooknandan,
"I think it had to do with personality differences, more or less - not the competency of the individual. He worked with me before. I think it is a more personality problem."
Jules Vasquez,
Having now taken office only two days, what are your impressions entering it now? Where are we? What do you think of what is in front of you?
Lutchman Sooknandan,
"Well to be honest, on my second day here I am wondering if I did the right thing to accept this job because I see a number of case files that have not been dealt with over the years which must be addressed."
Jules Vasquez,
Have these been neglected, overlooked?
Lutchman Sooknandan,
"They have not been touched by anybody."
Jules Vasquez,
But why is that? Is that a willful neglect?
Lutchman Sooknandan,
"I would not be able to say because I was not here."
Jules Vasquez,
One has to conclude that if four hundred files were lying around to be sent over to the Eastern Division and then sent back, I think that four hundred files - how is it that four hundred files are sitting around? There has to be a low clearance rate, something had to go administratively wrong.
Lutchman Sooknandan,
"Something went wrong but it is difficult for me to answer what went wrong but something went wrong, definitely: something went wrong."
Jules Vasquez,
How is you health and the question is are you well enough to manage this very demanding office?
Lutchman Sooknandan,
"Jules before I came to this office, as a matter of fact I was in Tampa General Rehabilitation Center so I got an assessment there and I got an assessment from my neurologist here in Belize and if my health was not up to standard, I would not have taken on this job."
Sooknandan says he'll also be reviewing the Glenn Godfrey file, but, again, couldn't speak on it because he has not seen the case yet.
Sooknandan was a former DPP, and made his name when in 1993, he directed police to arrest then opposition member Said Musa on charges of bribery in the Chiste Garcia case. The case was later thrown out. It's notable that Sooknandan is on a two year contract; Kirk Anderson was tenured which basically meant he was to have left the office upon retirement. As a part of judicial reform some years ago, the practice of awarding senior judicial officers contracts was discontinued because of the undue pressure that the executive can apply to a contract officers seeking renewal.
