Antigua police should apologise to Sir Ron—says former Attorney General

Jan 10, 2012 News

Antigua St John’s – Legal luminary Sir Gerald Watt has said the police did not handle the matter involving former diplomat Sir Ron Sanders properly, and they owe him an apology.
Sir Gerald, a guest on the Big Issues talk show, said the circulation of a notice to the local, regional, and international press naming Sir Ronald as a “person of interest” was not the right way to handle the matter, particularly since the former high commissioner in London writes regularly for a number of publications.
“To publicly declare someone a ‘person of interest’ – that is a euphemism for suggesting that an individual is involved in a criminal matter,” he said. “This is often the term used in the television crime dramas.”
He said if the police want someone to come in and speak with them on a particular matter, this is different from wanting to question that person as a criminal suspect. “This action by the police is at least improper. I don’t recall any of the other individuals questioned in the matter ever being declared a ‘person of interest,” he said.
Sir Gerald also noted that various sections of the media have been able to contact Sir Ron. “That others have been able to get in touch with Sir Ron, and the police have not, is a bad reflection on the police. It may mean that the police may not have made an extensive attempt to get him,” he added.
He is also putting the police on notice that a defamation suit could result. He said he does not believe, however, that the police were motivated by malice.
“I think there is going to be a lawsuit, and if I was advising the police, my advice would be to tell them to offer Sir Ron a public apology, assuring him that it was not their intention to subject him to public ridicule,” Sir Gerald advised.
As for the appointment of attorney Sanjeev Datadin as a special constable, Sir Gerald said this move caused him to raise his eyebrows “to his hairline”.
He dismissed Datadin’s assertion that his appointment does not constitute a conflict of interest, noting that he does not make a distinction between the attorney’s work for and on behalf of the government, and for Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, who was sued in a private matter.
“It’s nonsensical for him (Datadin) to attempt to make this artificial distinction,” Sir Gerald said. “It’s unethical and improper for someone that close to the government to serve in this capacity. It is not contrary to law, but it is not proper for him to be involved in a case in that manner, to the exclusion of the director of public prosecution.”
Sir Gerald, who served as attorney general in the 1971-76 PLM administration, also raised questions about the involvement of both Attorney General Justin Simon and National Security Minister Dr Errol Cort’s involvement in this matter.
He said Simon’s silence since Datadin’s appointment was most telling. “We are all aware that when something happens within his ministry, that Dr Cort usually goes to the public,” he said. “It is clear to me that neither man has been aware of Datadin’s appointment.”
Sir Gerald said the appointment of an attorney as special constable is the first time that he is aware of such a development in his almost 50 years of practising law in Antigua and Barbuda.

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Antigua police should apologise to Sir Ron—says former Attorney General

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