THE Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT) is calling on Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar to withdraw her attack on attorneys who, she alleged, supported the Attorney General in a special meeting so they would be favoured for state briefs.
In a media release on Friday, the association said, “We call upon the Leader of the Opposition to do what is appropriate and withdraw her statements.”
This is the second public scolding Persad-Bissessar received from attorneys regarding her stance. In a letter, Israel Khan, the most senior practising senior counsel and a member of the Inner Bar, said Persad-Bissessar should return her title of senior counsel.
On Monday, Persad-Bissessar named attorneys who spoke in support of AG Reginald Armour, another senior counsel, at a special general meeting of the association on July 15.
The meeting was called to vote on a motion of no confidence in Armour as AG and for him to resign because of his conduct in the State’s civil-forfeiture case involving the Piarco airport corruption case in Miami.
In the media release, the association said votes and comments at such meetings are confidential and the naming of who voted and how they voted violated that trust which, it said, may negatively affect young attorneys.
“The council of the LATT was therefore surprised and disappointed that the Honourable Leader of the Opposition, an attendee, not only made public how certain members had indicated they were going to vote, but singled out certain members for an unseemly public attack, attributing the most dishonourable of motives to them for the position they took.”
At the special meeting, 317 lawyers voted against the motion of no confidence and 234 voted for; 301 lawyers voted against the motion to call on Armour to resign as AG and 250 voted that he resign. A total of 551 financial members voted on the two motions with 472 virtual votes and 79 physical votes.
At the meeting, Armour apologised to the legal fraternity, and senior attorneys defended him against the motions initiated by a group of 40 attorneys led by Kiel Taklalsingh.
Persad-Bissessar said those who voted against the motion and spoke out in defence of Armour did so to protect their state briefs and board appointments.
The association added, “The attempt at the public shaming of our respected members by the Leader of the Opposition could only have a regrettably chilling effect, especially on younger members, of discouraging freedom of expression in future debates. We take no issue with any principled criticism of the position taken by the majority voting at the meeting.
“What is beyond the pale is the personal vilification of individual members by the holder of a high constitutional office. We remind members that the LATT will stand firm in carrying out its duties under the Act which includes, among other things, the protection and representation of the interests of its members.”
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