ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Justice Minister Rayburn Blackmoore has urged the Group of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations (OCCBA) to remain throughout the demarcations of its lane.
On Wednesday, the OCCBA mentioned latest statements made by Blackmore, who can also be Nationwide Safety minister, have been “most unlucky and disturbing” in regards to the granting of bail for double homicide accused Johnathan Lehrer.
The OCCBA mentioned it was becoming a member of with its colleagues and members of the authorized occupation of the Dominican Bar within the standing towards the “unlucky utterances” by Blackmoore.
However in response, Blackmore, in a letter to the affiliation’s president, mentioned whereas he won’t be engaged in “a back-and-forth” with the Group of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations and the Dominica Bar Affiliation, he felt obliged to reply.
“It’s extremely baffling to the affordable individual that the Group of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations, by its admission, is saying people, together with ministers, have the proper to respectfully, responsibly, and peacefully disagree with the choices of the court docket, however in the exact same assertion, is at odds with me, for doing exactly the exact same factor.”
“That is certainly very unlucky, and the Group of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations ought to not be issuing such a frivolous assertion in response to a official assertion, which I’ve made.
Once more, let me reaffirm that my assertion was official and saved to protect nationwide safety and public curiosity.
I respectfully undergo the Group of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations to remain throughout the demarcations of its lane. Lastly, I firmly consider that there are a number of different profound nationwide safety issues, and public curiosity organizations within the area ought to make statements, as a substitute of the deafening silence, on these different issues,” he mentioned.
Final week, Blackmoore referred to as on the Dominica Bar Affiliation (DBA) to retract its assertion accusing him of interference within the independence of the judiciary after it mentioned: “One of these public criticism by a Minister of presidency of a judicial resolution unnecessarily casts a shadow over the independence of the judiciary and dangers eroding public confidence in our authorized system.”
Blackmoore mentioned he was shocked by the response from the DBA and that it ought to look intently on the regulation on judicial independence, insisting that there was nothing fallacious with the statements on bail granted to Lehrer, an American hotelier accused of the double homicide of Quebec philanthropist Daniel Langlois and his associate Dominique Marchand.
In December final 12 months, homicide expenses have been filed towards Lehrer, 57, and his co-accused, 62-year-old Robert Snyder Jr., over the deaths of Langlois and Marchand.
The Individuals weren’t required to enter a plea within the Justice of the Peace’s court docket since homicide is an indictable offense and might solely be tried earlier than a decide and jury on the Excessive Courtroom.
The prosecution alleges that between November 29 and December 2, 2023, the 2 Individuals murdered Langlois and Marchand. Their our bodies have been discovered incinerated in a automotive close to Gallion, within the south of the island, the place they owned a resort. Langlois and Marchand had been reported lacking for a number of days.
Final month, Justice Williams outlined a number of situations below which Lehrer might be granted bail, together with a a million greenback (One EC greenback = 0.37 cents) bond with a correct and appropriate surety.
The preliminary inquiry into the murders started this week however has since been adjourned to February 10 subsequent 12 months. The prosecution returned to the Excessive Courtroom on Wednesday to get the decide to revoke the bail.