Page 18 - Steadroy Benjamin News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Barbuda falls in line with 8 pm to 5 am curfew on the mainland The Barbuda Council has abandoned plans to implement a 12 pm to 5 am curfew that was expected to take effect yesterday. The council has now agreed to fall in line with the 8 pm to 5 am curfew currently in place on the mainland. This after Prime Minister Gaston Browne wrote to the Secretary of the Barbuda Council, Paul Nedd, citing that the council’s decision to partially shut down the sister isle was unlawful. And after hours of deliberations yesterday, the council decided to stick with the government’s directive instead.

Bar Association not in support of ‘judge alone’ trials The Head of the Antigua and Barbuda Bar Association is insisting that the government should look to retrofit the courts to observe Covid-19 protocols as one possible solution to the resumption of jury trials in the High Court. The government is currently exploring ways to resume jury trials that were suspended indefinitely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the options that is now on the table is the proposed Criminal Procedure (Trials by Judge Alone) Bill 2020 which makes provisions for criminal matters to take place without a jury...

Splitting police from the fire brigade is still on the cards Spread the love Public Safety Minister Steadroy Benjamin says talks regarding separating the Fire Department from the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda are still on the cards, however, there are several factors to be considered before a final determination is made. The Fire Department has been pushing to achieve this goal for a number of years. Many believe a separation would result in better training for firefighters and faster response times, by allowing them to focus specifically on fire duties. Fire Chief Assistant Commi...

Legal move makes it easier for indigent prisoners to access bail An amendment to the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court’s (ECSE) civil procedures rules is making it easier for prisoners on remand who cannot afford legal representation, to apply for bail on their own behalf. Attorney-at-law Wendel Robinson told Observer that, under normal circumstances, a prisoner who is on remand pending the outcome of his or her matter, would be required to pay a lawyer between EC$2,500 and EC$3,500 to apply to the High Court for bail on their behalf, in addition to filing fees that are charged by the court.

Union ‘surprised’ port matter was brought before the Industrial Court Spread the love The Industrial Court has been asked to resolve a dispute between employees and the management at the Antigua Port Authority. On Monday, an emergency hearing was held at the court, after Attorney General Steadroy Benjamin filed memoranda, asking the court to make a judgement on whether port workers are entitled to take action over unpaid annual bonuses and advances. In December 2020, the workers, through the ABWU, threatened to take industrial action if they were not paid the 3.5 percent annual bonus as o...