Government Threatens The President Of The Bar And Two Former Presidents

Government threatens the president of the bar and two former presidents. Prime Minister Dean Barrow is in Dominican Republic for a SICA summit, but just after six this evening, his office sent out a stunning, but lengthy release on comments made on the reappointment of Justice Samuel Awich. It is a most unusual release because the OPM threatens that the comments made may well be actionable by the Director of Public Prosecution. Last week, the President of the Bar, Eamon Courtenay, made strong comments on the Prime Minister in response to statements made by the PM in the House of Representatives. And prior to that, Courtenay had spoken out on a resolution passed by the Bar in which it said it did not support the reappointment of Justice Awich.  The government views the comments as attacks on Justice Awich calling them contemptuous and contemptible that seek the scandalize the Belize Court of Appeal by alleging bias on the part of a member of that court. In fact, the Office of the Prime Minister refers to a campaign led by current Bar President Courtenay, and former presidents, Jackie Marshalleck and her husband, Andrew Marshalleck. According to the government release, Courtenay represents the Ashcroft interests against the government. The release cites a recent decision involving the acquisition of B.T.L. and B.E.L. which concluded in favor of G.O.B. saying that it is that decision that provoked the ire of “the Ashcroft privies” because the leading judgment in the Court of Appeal was written by Justice Awich. While we have not heard any statements made by Jackie Marshalleck on the reappointment of Justice Awich, the release says that she is a lawyer in the employ of the Ashcroft Group. Government also refers to the recent resolution passed by consensus by the Bar. According to G.O.B., only eighteen Bar members attended the meeting when the resolution was passed and that in fact, it is a lie to claim that the law partner of the PM supported the resolution. The Office of the Prime Minister says that the appointment of the justice is now fait accompli and that it will be for seven years. It ends to say that Cabinet, “will actively consider a course of action that will address the situation in which a puny, eighteen-person minority can purport to speak in the name of all lawyers in Belize.”