By Trevor Thwaites (St.George's correspondent)


ST.GEORGE’S, Grenada: President of the Grenada Bar Association, Ruggles Ferguson, has launched a scathing attack on Legal Advisor to the Government Hugh Wildman. “The case of the three soldiers in the Grenada 17 being used to prevent his appointment as attorney General is absolutely rubbish,” he told reporters at a press conference last week Wednesday in St George’s. He said that the Bar has not used any particular case to prevent Wildman from becoming Attorney General.

Wildman told the media that, his successful obtaining of a stay of the judge’s ruling to free the three men were used against him by the Bar Association during his attempt to win the post of Attorney General. “When I met with the Grenada Council of Churches, I was specifically asked by the church leaders about this matter,” he said. However this has been dismissed by Ferguson. “Our Issues with Wildman do not concern winning or losing cases or legal positions that he carries.

Our problem rests with what the Jamaica Court of Appeal in R&Johnson described as his outrageous, incomprehensible and reprehensible behaviour in 1996. And that behaviour continues up to this day,” Ferguson expounded. He said that the Bar Association is very concerned about the behaviour of Wildman as advisor to cabinet, with the problems now arising with the separation of powers doctrine

“Clearly, the executive seemed to be on a part, a dangerous part of clashing with the Judiciary and for sending fear in the minds of judges that if they do not rule as how we want you to rule, then we will attack you and attack you publicly. That is exactly what is happening.” Ferguson also took a shot at Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell. “I have been told and I am awaiting copies of the actual transcript that the prime minister himself went publicly sometime last week and stated that the Heads of Government of the OECS are concerned about the relationship between the judges and lawyers in Grenada, implying a clear bias on the part of the judges.

That’s a dangerous statement,” he said. Ferguson is calling on the cabinet to wise up, because he says that Wildman is leading it astray. “Instead of members of the executive and cabinet reigning in Wildman from all the wild and unwarranted attacks, what they are doing is feeding these attacks. They are not the ones who are going to suffer, but the people of the country.” He pointed to a recent matter involving the deportation of Guyanese national Holigan, whose work permit, he claimed was revoked.

Ferguson said that after challenging the deportation through a judicial review application, the presiding judge Baptiste, withdrew saying that he would not be sitting in any matter involving Wildman, after he rose to record his appearance. The President of Bar said that Wildman also attacked Judge Baptiste recently after he had ruled against him in his application for judicial review against the Judicial and Legal Services Commission. “What we have had since 1994/95 is continuing attacks by Wildman, personal attacks against every single judge that ruled against him. It has happened in Jamaica and it is happening in Grenada.”


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