There are two things that few in the media, the opposition, or the public in general can credibly criticize: first is the notion that Supreme Court is fair and fearless; and second, that tourism continues to grow both as an employer and foreign exchange earner. But last week Tourism Minister Godfrey Smith told the Hotel Association that the overnight sector is at a sticking point, and this week, he semi-slaughters the other sacred cow, the Judiciary.
Call him a contrarian, but in this week’s Flashpoint, Smith, who was the Attorney General that brought Chief Justice Dr. Abdulai Conteh to Belize, writes that under Conteh, “there is a growing - if not galloping - perception that the Supreme Court is inclined to dealing expeditiously with high-profile cases which...receive heavy publicity from the media; leaving routine, pedestrian cases stuck in the judicial pipeline.” Smith refers also to what he calls “the phenomenon of ‘trial by media’" where litigants propel their cases through the court with fuel from media buzz. Smith says that this kind of media driven trial has happened in 6 cases, and in two cases, “judgement (was) delivered a couple weeks later.”
He doesn’t specify which cases but Senior Counsel Lois Young Barrow is known to be involved in high profile, high publicity cases and she outright rejects Smith’s interpretation. She said that under Conteh, and as a matter of widely held judicial practice, constitutional matters are heard expeditiously. She adds that high profile cases draw high profile attorneys who earn their reputation by proper and timely filings of court papers, and not requesting adjournments. Another senior counsel told us that in his opinion, the Chief Justice does not cherry pick high profile cases.
So where is Smith coming from with what he calls a "galloping perception"? Well, in closing his column, Smith warns that “the courts should meet such perceptions and criticisms head on and resolve them.”
