At least one senior counsel has come out in defence of Attorney General Anand Ramlogan with respect to giving the senior Council (SILK) honour to two judges.
Israel Khan told the Guardian newspaper Wednesday no one should blame Ramlogan for awarding silk to two sitting judges because there was precedence in the matter.
“When it was first announced I didn’t give it much serious thought because there was precedence for a chief justice to take silk,” he said.
Khan noted that former chief justice Clinton Bernard was awarded silk in 1988 by the attorney general of then National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) government.
He also pointed out that former NAR prime minister Arthur NR Robinson was also awarded silk where serving as PM.
He further noted that Karl Hudson-Phillips received the honour while he was attorney general during the PNM administration in 1971.
Hudson-Phillips is one of the top lawyers who has criticised the AG and has called on the CJ, Ivor Archie and and Appeal Court Justice Wendell Kangaloo not to accept the title.
While Khan defended Ramlogan based on precedence he agreed that the CJ and Kangaloo should not accept the honour and instead be given "honorary silk" with the real title reserved for only practising advocates.
“It is with the greatest reluctance I say that the Chief Justice and Justice Kangaloo should consider whether they made a mistake in accepting silk,” Khan said.
“When it was first announced I didn’t give it much serious thought because there was precedence for a chief justice to take silk,” he said.
Khan noted that former chief justice Clinton Bernard was awarded silk in 1988 by the attorney general of then National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) government.
He also pointed out that former NAR prime minister Arthur NR Robinson was also awarded silk where serving as PM.
He further noted that Karl Hudson-Phillips received the honour while he was attorney general during the PNM administration in 1971.
Hudson-Phillips is one of the top lawyers who has criticised the AG and has called on the CJ, Ivor Archie and and Appeal Court Justice Wendell Kangaloo not to accept the title.
While Khan defended Ramlogan based on precedence he agreed that the CJ and Kangaloo should not accept the honour and instead be given "honorary silk" with the real title reserved for only practising advocates.
“It is with the greatest reluctance I say that the Chief Justice and Justice Kangaloo should consider whether they made a mistake in accepting silk,” Khan said.
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