Lawyers call for disciplinary action

Lawyers for Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves have written to the Attorney General requesting that she institute disciplinary proceedings against Vynnette Frederick, Nicole Sylvester and Kay Bacchus-Browne.{{more}}

According to Dr. Gonsalves, Lawyers on Tuesday, January 11, 2010, initiated private criminal proceedings on behalf of Frederick against Dr. Gonsalves which Chief Magistrate Sonya Young refused to issue on the ground that they were frivolous and vexatious.

A release from the prime minister’s Lawyers said: “It is significant to note that before the Chief Magistrate had made her determination on whether the summons should be issued, Barristers Sylvester and Bacchus-Browne, and their client, were in the company of the Leader of the Opposition, Arnhim Eustace, at a Press Conference stating, among other things, that Dr. Gonslaves had been slapped with two criminal charges, the very matters which were adjudged to be “frivolous and vexatious”.”

The Lawyers say that this is not the first time that the Attorneys Bacchus Browne and Sylvester were associated with the institution of private criminal charges against Dr. Gonsalves.

“They did so in relation to an alleged sexual assault. The charges were discontinued by the DPP after the Attorneys failed to comply with basic requests for information from the Commissioner of Police and the DPP. The DPP’s decision was upheld by the High Court and Court of Appeal. Despite the written judgments of the respective courts, the same Attorneys subsequently approached the Family Court with an application for a summons. This application was refused, as it was considered to constitute, a “harassment” of Dr. Gonsalves,” the release said.

Dr. Gonsalves has committed to co-operate fully and in every material particular with the proposed proceedings.