Was it the judiciary, or the Unity Labour Party (ULP) government that decided to bring nine charges against Sen. Vynnette Frederick last Thursday?
That’s the question that might be in some persons’ minds after hearing comments by Government senator, Julian Francis, on his weekly radio programme Tuesday night.
Frederick was arrested and slapped with nine charges on Thursday, hours after a magistrate dismissed six similar charges against her.
The move by the police to arrest Frederick during lunch with her lawyers and political colleagues, have prompted questions about the intention of the police.
A local newspaper, widely regarded as supportive of the ULP government, in its editorial on Tuesday, said it seemed that the intention was to humiliate Frederick and makes one wonder whether she was being prosecuted or persecuted.
But Francis’ comments may have offered some insight into what informed the decision to charge, or may have inadvertently cast unwarranted aspersion on the nation’s prosecutors.
“Now, the NDP s saying that this thing is not proper,” Francis said of the arrest of his Opposition parliamentary colleague.
“… let’s assume for one minute that the NDP is in government and there is some charges brought against Senator Julian Francis in Parliament where I was charged for perjury and my defence lawyers got the magistrate to throw out the charges, you mean the NDP government was going to sit down and accept that as the final verdict and not pursue?” Francis said.
“They would not have been convinced that the charges against me were genuine it is just that they made some errors in the formulation of the charges and that they can have the formulation corrected within a short space of time?
“… NDP was just going to walk away from it? Is that the impression you are giving to the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines that you were just going to walk away from it and leave Julian Francis to enjoy his celebration party and not have to report back to the court to answer the real charges, properly formulated?” Francis further said in relation to Opposition Leader, Arnhim Eustace.
Francis cited the case last month when Dwaine Sandy was arrested as part of investigations into the robbery of a postal worker and shooting of a police officer in Kingstown.
Francis noted that Sandy was released and arrested again some hours later.
“There is nothing mystic about it,” he said.
“So what they want, let the charges get dismissed, Vynnette walk away because there was some bad formulation and there is an allowance in the law that you can amend the charges and have the person rearrested and charged again and brought back to court? It is all proper by law. There is nothing improper about it,” the senator further said.
His comments ain’t suggesting nothing!
Is this for real? These people cannot be for real. The fact that a political party can use the justice system in SVG for there own ends like this is really sick. Power in the wrong hands turn to tyranny, and that is what we are SVG is here. Vincentians don’t even realize how far SVG have sunken. Time to get rid of these people who have held the country back for 12 years, building buildings and destroying the economy.
These people are destroying our country. When the government changes, these people need to be thrown into jail for civil right crimes, and abuse of power, corruption and all the wrongs that they committed.
“Was it the judiciary, or the Unity Labour Party (ULP) government that decided to bring nine charges against Sen. Vynnette Frederick last Thursday?”
Is there a difference? The judiciary in this instance is the crown, who represents the crown? The DPP. Who appoints the DPP? The Prime Minister for all intent and purposes. Which Party is in Power?
To ask such a question is to suggest that the DPP Office is an INDEPENDENT BODY IN SVG. IT IS NOT!Julian Francis is absolutely correct, had this been the NDP they would have done the same thing…it is the reality of the political game that has the country in political paralysis for sometime now.
Its for this reason, why I am not jumping on the Frederick bandwagon, as I recognize what is going on here and while the Administration is clearly trying to shaft Ms Frederick by any means necessary with those overreaching charges;I also recognize that Ms Frederick is no damsel in distress.
Ms Frederick and other NDP operatives orchestrated a move against Gonsalves that had they won, would have unseat this Administration. The private criminal charges she filed against him was no joke…I am not dotish, this is payback time and the ULP is looking for their pound of flesh.
Julian cannot be serious to compare the robbery and police shooting with the charges brought against the young lady. If he’s serious then Ralph should be in jail for the alleged rape of the police woman. He has not proven his innocence and his case should be brought back to the courts. How about that for justice?
Jim Crow laws are rampant in SVG these days, abetted by an incompetent police force. When are Vincentians going to wake up to the dangers of such actions in the society, irrespective of which government is in power. There are criminals elements everywhere – in government, the police and the population. These people have to be stopped before the entire nation is contaminated.
And as always an attempt will be made to try explain how the law was effectively used in one case but no mention can be made of the failure for these same laws to be applied in other cases.
To some how be proud to talk about the re-arrest of Mr Sandy as if it was handled professionally. Guess that mades them proud he was physically abused and ended up in the hospital coughing blood. Guess they proud that to date the police have not issued a public statement or appology for damages to this man’s character. Am just waiting to see how fast the DDP throws his deformation case out, and how fast that of the PM against Mr Eustace goes through the system. Then again we’ll really have something to be proud of.
Anytime I read about person getting arrested, bring me back to the last news story of someone stealing from the Airport Development Company and the effort that was made not to release the individual’s name to the public. Hold a press conference to say arrangement were made to repay. Some how theft was not a crime in that case and no arrest with SSU officers was necessary. But now all of a sudden, in Ms Fedricks case if a crime was committed then an arrest and prosecution must occur.
False equivalence, double standards and hyprocracy.
Shame, Shame, Shame.
Does Julian Francis realize that he is implying that the DPP is incompetent? As I understand it,this trial was adjourned BECAUSE the charges were badly stated, it then continued after the charges were re-formulated, and only then was the case dismissed; and Julian is now saying that the charges STILL had “some errors” in the formulation? Charges that should have been properly formulated in the first place? What does that say about the DPP and his office? Or has Mr Francis not been following the long process of this trial? Or does he assume that his listeners either haven’t been following it or just don’t care about what has happened so far? Oh dear, and this is a MINISTER of government!
FRANCIS conjecture that “the NDP they would have done the same thing”. That is fiction, or perhaps a clairvoyant vision or the say-so of his Obiman cousin. FRANCIS is conjecturing that the NDP would do it without any possibility of proving such. I am not to sure of that, I believe this group of NDP are decent people, whilst the ULP are a bunch of Marxist’s who hijacked our Labour party.
What most intelligent people would conclude is that this is not just payback time, its punishment time as well. How dare the ULP bring charges against the fat man, even if they are true, now you will all pay, his malice and spite will smite you all.
Of course this is a hundred percent ULP, all orders came from there, all orders received from there.
This is not a matter of ULP or NDP or the POLICE, its a matter of wrong and right, it was wrong to do what was done in the way it was done. Anyone who cannot see that is unable to determine between right and wrong.
Your quite right this is payback time, but its also punishment for bringing charges about a matter that I believe was almost certainly true. The matter of attempting to stop Frederick being elected by telling lies and calling her derogatory names in the hope of damaging her reputation, within the time frame prior to an election, that law makes it an act punishable by being banned from parliament, imprisoned and fined. Now if Gonsalves did that he deserved the punishment. But if you remember when those charges were brought against him, he took it upon himself to change the law, making it reciprocal, to avoid the law of the land. Is all that the action of a man with an once of decency?
JULIAN FRANCIS, is in my view an unelected unelectable moron. I am sure at some time in the not two distant future he will be caught up in his own net that he thinks he has so cleverly weaved. In today’s world its almost impossible to hide anything, and I believe he is living in the past. There are all sorts of routes to evidence about what he has said and done, what he has bought and sold, he is still on the hook for a credible explanation and legal proof and evidence of where the US$1 million dollars in cash came from that was take to the NCB bank in an attempt to change it into EC dollars.
Prime Minister Gonsalves has been accused of rape, indecent sexual assault and a number of other matters regarding sex. Not by one women, but by five, that we have heard of. He has never been to court, had at least two charges thrown out by the DPP, and a bunch of complaint letters laughed at by the DPP.
Rape, like murder there can be no statute barred charges to stop him some time in the future being recharged and brought before the court.
Lets hope that when this, what I describe as ‘THE FRANCIS DUO EMPIRE’ falls, they will face the full force of the law, for any wrong doings proven against them.
@Applejays, until these charges are DISMISS WITH PREJUDICE,the DPP can continue to refile these charges as they please.
Now I totally agree with you that there seems to be some level of incompetence within the DPP Office. I suspect,regarding the upcoming hearing,if there are any “errors” with any of those nine new charges; Ms Frederick will walk for good.
Ah must say, only in Vincyland would a politician be so brazen and downright stupid to suggest that there is no separation of powers between the Executive and the Judiciary.Even if folks are suspicious of the political shenanigans that take place in the corridors of power…the public utterances of Julian Frances have confirm those suspicions. All concern citizens should worry to death about the state of Governance in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Now this is the real McCoy here, this is the kind of ish that brings down a Government,or at least should result in the removal of Julian Francis from the House of Parliament. This is just an astonishingly reckless statement to make in public. What Julian Francis is effectively saying to Vincentians, is that there is an unbridled, unadulterated, unconstitutional interference of the Judiciary by the ULP controlled Executive…and that’s just how the ULP roll.
Only in Vincyland.
These charges are ridiculous.The fact that Julian Frances is clearly saying that the ULP brought these charges DEMONSTRATES THAT THEY ARE POLITICALLY MOTIVATED!!
PM Ralph ought to apologize to Ms Frederick for publicly maligning her name ,for bringing her character into disrepute by the wicked comments he made against her.
To spearhead (as Julian’s words show) criminal persecution against her is haughty and self righteous!!
Let no one be fooled all Vynette did was try to defend the name calling by the prime MINISTER of this land . These case are an atrocity!!
What is all the fuss about? Julian said nothing wrong. Ask Ralph?
Hell, he didn’t even misspeak. Ask Ralph.
And he should be promoted too. Ask Ralph.
Vynnette deserves all she gets and some because she is a snotty-nose gyurl. Ask Ralph.
He realy is such a pratt, no wonder he is known as Gonsalves yard boy.
WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE FUSSING OVER WHAT JULIAN SAID , IT IS THE NORM FOR JULIAN TO GIVE THE ULP POSITION ON THE CASE, RALPH CANNOT SAY NOTHING TO JULIAN , YOU WANT TO SEE KICK ASS, BECAUSE JULIAN ALWAYS DOES THINGS HIS WAY, REMEMBER HE SANG THAT AT GLEN FUNERAL , DID YOU ALL DONE FORGET THAT?
Isola Ollie, you are saying FRANCIS sang at GLENS funeral ‘I did it my way’, how very interesting.
I am glad to see that one of the demonstrations was planned for my back yard (Layou). This seat is up for grabs and the ULP should be seriously planning now for the takeover. They have to put forward a serious candidate, not one looking for the lime lights. This didn’t buy us anything the last time.
Let’s get some debates going to select the best candidate. Let the people in Central Leeward ask the hard questions. Let them ask the candidates why they are running, and what do they hope to accomplish for the constituency. Find out who they plan to owe allegiance to: The leader, the party or the people they represent.
We must never forget the division our water caused several years ago. How ironic that it was the Layou water that helped out when SVG was in terrible need of clean, fresh water. I felt so proud when Layou stopped the theft of our water supply. I’ll feel much better when we decide who wins the next election.
We have to re-examine our legal system to ensure the rights of citizens are protected from the mongoose gangs that roam the streets as policemen and women. Let’s hope Ralph doesn’t change the rape laws, so he would not have to answer to the alleged rape of the police woman. Like Parnell said, “today for you, tomorrow for me”.