The Law Association yesterday called on Chief Justice Ivor Archie to speak up on allegations questioning his conduct in office now in the public domain, saying it was shocked at his deafening silence.
In a release last evening, the council said it was increasingly alarmed at allegations of improper conduct levelled directly and by implication against him, as head of the Judiciary.
“Of particular concern is the allegation that he has intervened to obtain preferential treatment in the distribution of public housing to his acquaintances,” the council said.
“The council is even more troubled at the failure of the Chief Justice to respond to these damaging allegations despite calls from various quarters, including the Law Association, publicly and privately, that he do so with alacrity. The Chief Justice’s steadfast refusal to refute these and other accusations levelled against him is unacceptable and incomprehensible.”
The council said it is of the view the CJ’s continued failure to challenge the allegations has the potential to irreparably bring the Office of Chief Justice into disrepute, and by extension tarnish the entire Judiciary.
“His continued silence is nothing short of reckless,” the council said.
“As already stated publicly, the council of the Law Association had resolved to ascertain/substantiate the facts upon which the allegations made against the Chief Justice were alleged to be based with a view to determining what, if any, further action might be appropriate. In this regard, attention is drawn to Section 5 of the Legal Profession Act, which mandates that the purposes of the Law Association include representing and protecting the interests of the legal profession and promoting, maintaining and supporting the administration of justice and the rule of law.”
The council’s statement came even as the man of the centre of some of the allegations, Dillian Johnson, a friend of the CJ, reported to police earlier this week that he had information on individuals who want to kill him and who conspired in the attack on him during a shooting incident at his Gasparillo recently.
Johnson named at least two high profile people in a 12-page statement he lodged with the Anti-Corruption Bureau. He produced screen shots of what appears to be Whatsapp conversations among three people - the two high profile individuals he named in his statement and a security agent he also named. However, investigating officers say they are yet to authenticate the messages.
Yesterday, an IT expert who viewed the Whatsapp messages produced by Johnson pointed out to Guardian Media what appears to be abnormalities in them, including times, dates and icons inconsistent with how they are usually displayed in WhatsApp messages.
John’s allegations are currently being investigated by the police.