Newsday Reporters Friday, July 21 2006

CJ's HOTLINE TO JONES

Two calls were made from the Fairways, Maraval residence of Chief Justice Sat Sharma to Justice Judith Jones' cell phone and office on the evening of Friday, July 14, when the police had obtained a warrant for his arrest.

Jones, who is presiding over the judicial review of criminal charges against Sharma also placed five telephone calls to Sharma's residence. About one hour later, after representations by Sharma's lawyers, Jones granted an ex parte injunction ordering police not to arrest Sharma on a charge of perverting the course of justice.

The first call from Sharma's residence to Jones was to her cell phone at 5.29 pm. The second call was at 6.52 pm which was made to Jones in her chambers at the Hall of Justice. The time of 6.52 pm coincides with the time stated by Police Commissioner Trevor Paul in a statement made on Wednesday, when he said Justice Stanley John, who was with Sharma at his residence, called ACP Clive Reyes to the telephone to take a call from Justice Jones who was already on the line. Paul said Jones reportedly told Reyes that he could not proceed to arrest the Chief Justice as she had granted an ex parte injunction.

Copies of telephone records obtained by Newsday yesterday detailed 102 incoming and outgoing telephones calls with numbers and names, to and from the CJ's residence on July 14. On that Friday alone there were 34 calls from Sharma's residence to various people including Jones, family members and two attorneys, Russel Martineau and Alvin Fitzpatrick. There were also many calls from the media.

The CJ is at the centre of an elaborate judicial process arising out of allegations and charges made by top officials that Sharma attempted to interfere in two major court matters. One of the major complaints was that Sharma attempted to interfere in the prosecution of Dr Vijay Naraynsingh for the murder of his second wife. The other complaint came from Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls who alleged that Sharma tried to influence the outcome of the trial of former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday for failing to declare his London bank account. Naraynsingh was freed after a preliminary inquiry but Panday was found guilty and given a jail term.

So far the CJ has blocked every attempt to have any and all matters adjudicated before a tribunal or court.

The tribunal recommended by Prime Minister Patrick Manning in the Naraynsingh case, was stalled when Sharma filed for judicial review which after a year is yet to be heard. Sharma is due to retire next March.

This week alone Jones granted five ex parte injunctions preventing any action against Sharma by the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Carla Brown-Antoine and the country's 7,000 policemen.

The police were informed via a phone call which was received at the CJ's residence at 6.52 pm on Friday evening last not to proceed with any arrest by order of Jones. However, the registrar of the court, Evelyn Peterson, who is the official who conveys the decision of the court in these matters, only got into the act at approximately 7.55 pm at her home.

From her office at 11 pm, four hours after the police had been ordered to call off the arrest, she telephoned the order to Sharma's residence.

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