Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi says the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) can only defend the pending legal action by its former managing director Jearlean John through propriety and transparency.
John was fired following a meeting with the HDC board of directors last week, and said she plans to sue the agency for more than $2 million. Al-Rawi said yesterday he is not phased by the prospect of yet another costly lawsuit against the State since everyone is entitled access to the courts.
“If it is that someone intends to take the board of the HDC to court, then the board of the HDC will have to defend its position so the only way to do it is with propriety and transparency, and prosecute your best defence in situations like that. Certainly you can’t prevent someone from going to court,” he said.
“What you should do is to encourage dispute resolution and we’ll see what happens there, that is all part of the course. I use the term dispute resolution broadly in the sense of whatever forum somebody chooses. If somebody chooses to go to court, then that is the forum for dispute resolution, if they choose to have mediation, then that is the forum there.
“The bottom line is that certainly, everybody has the right to approach the courts in this land. I will not discourage anyone from doing that if they felt that is what they want to do,” Al-Rawi said.
Unhappy with crime
The AG said while Government’s legislative agenda includes dealing with criminals, it is not only up to politicians and the protective services to fight crime and it is time citizens reclaim their communities and share their views with Government on how they can deal with the problem.
Al-Rawi said he is unhappy with the crime rate and the Attorney General’s office will start public consultations on April 6 at the Port-of-Spain City Hall in an effort to bring necessary changes, beginning with discussions on the prison system.
“You will notice, coming event after event, we will be coming to the people with the work that we’re doing. What we believe is that by sharing the statistical information, we will start to get the real societal participation on the road ahead. Crime can’t only be managed by politicians, not only by the police, not only by the protective services.
“Its time for the communities to begin to reclaim and to have some avenues to express their position and points of view. That’s why the Office of the Attorney General is engaging in the forum that we are engaging in, first starting with the prison system, then moving in the criminal justice system and going on so that we have a rapport with the people whom we serve in a meaningful way.
“That ties in to legislative agenda and that ties into societal solutions. Obviously dealing with your criminal justice system affects how crime is managed in your country,” the AG said.