By Ken Ali
The cocktail of raw lies and legal spin in the Austin Jack Warner extradition case is a national scandal.
The disgrace is a highly disturbing development in the rule of law.
It is compounded by the cold silence of the Law Association and the PNM, whose Attorney General Faris Al Rawi was the principal State official in an explosive case in which there were major constitutional breaches.
Warner could justifiably claim political and legal persecution following the constitutionally defective extradition proceedings.
He was subjected to an extensive unlawful exercise, which undermines public confidence in the justice system.
The manner in which the State conducted the extradition process violated Warner’s constitutional right to liberty and due process, Justice Karen Reid ruled.
The State falsely presented to the court that specialty extradition arrangements existed.
Al Rawi was AG when the Authority to Proceed was issued on September 21, 2015, served in the office for seven years, and, therefore, bears significant institutional responsibility.
Last August, AG John Jeremie found there was no relevant extradition document, and ordered a probe.
There was clearly worrying legal misconduct in this highly charged matter.
Now, the Law Association has a professional duty to defend the integrity of the justice system, including when the office of the Attorney General misleads a court.
Dishonesty in a legal matter should be a primary ethical matter deserving of the association’s critical review.
There has, so far, not been any comments from the association in spite of the breach of Warner’s constitutional rights and abuse of process.
I am reminded of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s depiction of the association as “defiled and discredited.”
The PM said: “I have no regard for the eat-ah-food filth in the hierarchy of the Law Association…”
She portrayed the body as “a mouthpiece for lazy, dunce, hungry-mouth PNM senior counsel who loot the treasury.”
While the association is mum on the distressing abuse of process, the group was recently caustic against the current authorities.
A clampdown on public protests could have “a chilling effect on constitutional freedoms” and “potentially extinguish constitutional rights.”
Hypocrisy is alive and well!
Then, there is Al Rawi, whose litany of political and legal shame is as long as his Cabinet recusals.
This matter adds his checklist of the Janelle John-Bates, CEPEP, Malcolm Jones, Vincent Nelson, and other stigmas.
Still, he sits in the Senate and is public relations officer of the PNM.
Like the Law Association, the opposition party is scandalously silent amid blatant lies and constitutional violations in a case involving the freedom of a citizen.
As always, taxpayers will pay the steep cost.
