Delroy Chuck
Justice Minister Delroy Chuck has welcomed the judgment handed down on Monday by the Judicial Committee of the UK-based Privy Council in the longstanding Trafigura matter involving former Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and other bigwigs of the People’s National Party (PNP).
Chuck, in a statement in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, said it was time for the 15-year-old matter to be brought to an end.
“The case is significant as it brings to an end the legal challenges brought by the appellants to avoid giving evidence in open court. But more importantly the JCPC clarified that section 16(3) of our Constitution applies to proceedings under the Mutual Assistance (Criminal Matters) Act (MACMA). Moreover, the judgment declares the importance of how section 16(3) of the Constitution protects litigants who give evidence in open court,” Chuck stated.