While in a heightened state of mourning for lost and abused children and murdered women, we had another week of ole talk in a continuing demonstration of the inability of Government and the poorly-man
While in a heightened state of mourning for lost and abused children and murdered women, we had another week of ole talk in a continuing demonstration of the inability of Government and the poorly man
Derek Achong
A man, who was forced to serve his entire sentence for drug trafficking before he successfully appealed his conviction due to repeated delays by prison officers in facilitating his legal challenge, is set to receive almost $1 million in compensation.
In a 38-page judgment issued yesterday, High Court Judge Margaret Mohammed ruled that the man’s constitutional right to due process of law was breached by the actions of the errant prison officers.
Mohammed said, “In my opinion the failure of the Prison Service to take positive steps to ensure that there were adequate safeguards to prevent the arbitrary exercise of power by the prison officers, resulted in the claimant being deprived of the opportunity to file his notice of appeal within the prescribed statutory period.”
$1m for Tobago chef blocked from appealing wrongful conviction
Friday 5 March 2021
A TOBAGO chef who was wrongly convicted of trafficking cocaine in 2010 will receive close to $1 million from the State because the prison service failed to allow him to file an appeal.
He will receive a total of $980,000 for the breach of his constitutional rights, for the three and a half years he spent in prison, and to denounce the conduct of the prison service.
The chef has asked that his name not be used given the quantum of compensation he is to receive and for security reasons.
Making the order on Friday was Justice Margaret Mohammed, in a written decision in which she also awarded the chef interest and costs.