There were 70 Court of Appeal matters “lying idle”, where attorneys had filed nothing else but the notice of appeal, said Chief Justice Sir Patterson Cheltenham.
So when the public and others blame the court for the backlog, it’s actually lawyers who should be taking the blame, he added.
“On assuming office, I instructed that there be a serious dig in the Court of Appeal and that dig found 70 matters lying idle,” he revealed. “This is classic. A notice of appeal and nothing else. And we have been ferreting them out so that matters can be brought on for hearing.
“So the word would go out that ‘we have filed an appeal and that inefficient court is doing nothing’. That’s not the story. It’s the lawyers who have done nothing.” (HLE)
Subscribe now to our eNATION edition for the full story.
For the latest stories and breaking news updates download the Nationnews apps for iOS and Android.
