The Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago meets in special session Wednesday in what observers are calling "the biggest showdown among the lawyers in the legal profession". The association is hoping to pass a motion of no-confidence in the country's new attorney general. The single agenda item is the return of Attorney General John Jeremie who was appointed to the cabinet after Bridgit Annisette-George quit in May. The lawyers held a similar meeting in 2006 when police tried to arrest then Chief Justice Sat Sharma on a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice. Jeremie was attorney general at the time and has been censured for his role in that matter.
Related: New T&T AG faces no-confidence motion
Association President Martin Daly will chair the meeting, which requires a quorum of 50, with only financial members having voting rights. The association says while there are more than 1,500 attorneys listed on the rolls, many of them are non-financial.
Reports say lawyers from almost every department within the State would join their colleagues who are in private practice for the meeting.
Jeremie has been in the media spotlight since returning to office, especially since the Express newspaper's expose about a dispute between former Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Geoffrey Henderson and Jeremie in 2006 over the filing of criminal charges against people who were opposed to the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) Government, including former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday and business magnate Lawrence Duprey.
Read the story: Jeremie tried to force DPP to charge Panday
Jeremie will have support from some lawyers, led by Israel Khan, who has openly supported Jeremie, describing him as "the best AG this country had seen".
The meeting will consider and discuss the Jeremie-Henderson feud and focus on a letter dated December 11, 2006, written by Henderson to Jeremie, which stated in part:
“I am not subject to your directions. Your continued efforts to have me initiate charges against certain persons are highly improper and should they continue can imperil the successful prosecution of any charge initiated in the matters under investigation.”
The motion for debate will consider reported attempts by Jeremie “to improperly and illegally interfere with criminal prosecutions for political purposes, and by so doing to undermine and threaten the constitutional independence of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.”
It seeks to condemn "in the strongest manner", the reported attempts by Jeremie to improperly and illegally interfere with criminal prosecutions for political purposes and to condemn the reported attempts by the AG "to undermine and threaten the constitutional independence of the Office of DPP".
It will declare that the Law Association has no confidence in Jeremie as Attorney General and titular head of the Bar of Trinidad and Tobago.
The Trinidad Guardian reported Wednesday that lawyers would also call for the Government to appoint a DPP, Solicitor General, Chief Parliamentary Counsel and Chief State Solicitor.
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