Browne Stands Firm Amid Backlash Over Judiciary Remarks

By Tahna Weston tahna. weston@antiguaobserver. com Prime Minister Gaston Browne has doubled down on his criticism of the judiciary, rejecting mounting condemnation from regional legal bodies and insisting that judges must be held accountable for sentences he believes undermine public safety. In his latest response, Browne defended his call for more proportionate sentences for repeat offenders and rejected the view that judicial independence places judges beyond public criticism. “Your ‘independence’ doesn’t put you beyond reproach and make you unaccountable to the people you serve,” Browne said. He accused the judiciary of handing down weak sentences that contribute to repeat offending and said the practice is undermining public safety.

Browne maintained that he is not seeking to influence any individual case, but is challenging what he described as a broken judicial system in urgent need of reform to address crime and repeat offending. He said he respects the separation of powers, but argued that he has the right to criticise members of the judiciary when he believes sentencing is not in keeping with the wishes of Parliament. “Your weak sentencing is undermining public safety; that is the salient issue at hand. I speak on behalf of the people without fear or favour. I said what I said and I stand by it,” Browne said. His response follows a joint statement from five regional associations of women judges expressing “grave concern” over what they described as his threat against a sitting judge. The Caribbean Association of Women Judges, the Commonwealth of The Bahamas Association of Women Judges, the Eastern Caribbean Association of Women Judges, the Guyana Association of Women Judges and the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Women Judges said a declaration that a judge…