SAN FERNANDO – ALL accused persons in custody who appeared in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court yesterday had to be remanded to prison as there was no Justice of the Peace (JP) to approve bail documents.
A notice posted in the court read: “Please note that today Monday 29th July 2019 Clerk of the Peace services at the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court (old) will not be available. We apologise for any inconvenience.”
Senior attorney and former minister in the ministry of national security Subhas Panday held a press conference at his San Fernando Chambers on the matter.
He said neither attorneys nor magistrates were told of the situation and he had a client on a kidnapping charge who was granted cash bail but had “to ride the truck.”
Panday said he was subsequently told that the JPs had a training exercise that would also keep them away from court on Wednesday.
He said there were more than a dozen charge cases before the courts.
Panday said, “There is not a single clerk of the peace or justice of the peace to give effect of the bail. So, therefore, they have all of them pack up there inside of the cell.
“Something is wrong with the administration of justice. How could the head of the administration of the judiciary allow this situation to happen? If they knew they were taking the JPs away, why it is they did not make arrangements for people to get bail?”
