Former High Court judge Herbert Volney has described as “shameful”, the failure of Chief Justice Ivor Archie to accept responsibility for a clear error of judgement in facilitating the swearing in of Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar as a judge.
Volney said Ayers-Caesar graciously fell on the Archie’s sword “for he was not man enough to lead his Judicial and Legal Service Commission (JLSC) into resignation for his or their joint error of governance.”
In a Facebook post yesterday, Volney said, “No one seems to have belly or guts to step up and speak out against mid governance, against injustice, and against corruption in high places.”
He said Ayers-Caesar’s exemplary record of integrity and achievements has been trashed by the ill advice of a premature oath.
“The new judge was ill-advised to resign as even with that and her reappointment as chief magistrate she will have to start all her part heard matters ‘de novo’ (from the beginning),” Volney added. He referred to the judgement in The State v Imran Ali & Ors for kidnapping.
In another post on Friday, he questioned whether Archie and the JLSC were sacrificing Ayers-Caesar to save themselves.
“I was once appointed to be a High Court judge and in the interview I was meticulously asked of my readiness to take up the appointment in terms of my court undertakings. I was in private practice and I was given time to tie up my ends.”
He questioned whether Ayers-Caesar “really lied” about the state of her list.
“Most in the legal profession would not accept the explanation given by the Chief Justice that the newly appointed was not candid or deliberately lied about the state of her court list...The new judge is a humble server of God who has risen to the top of the Magistracy and remained there with unblemished record of service. She is a woman of known integrity. ”
