NASSAU| At least two newly appointed Supreme Court Justices will be twiddling their thumbs due to a severe prosecutor shortage.
Chief Justice Sir Brian Moree said that recent Supreme Court appointments were aimed at tackling the backlog on the criminal side.
But the Office of the DPP doesn’t have enough prosecutors to assign to Justices Jeanine Weech-Gomez and Neil Brathwaite due to a mass exodus from the prosecutions department.
Brathwaite recently resigned as deputy DPP to become a judge and senior prosecutors Kendra Kelly and Algernon Allen Jr quit to become magistrates.
Almost all of the senior prosecutors have left, or requested transfers to civil litigation, and the junior prosecutors are incapable of leading cases alone.
More prosecutors are planning their exit as well.
Morale is at an all-time low as prosecutors have been denied promotions and pay increases.
To add insult to injury, the government said these hardworking prosecutors weren’t qualified to fill the positions of Assistant Director and Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions.
Nigerian Nikiruka Jones-Nebo and Ugandan David Bakibinga each earn salaries over $100,000 in their respective roles as Deputy Director and Assistant Director but they can’t practice in the Bahamian courts, as their qualifications aren’t recognized by the Bar Association.
Bahamian People what do you think? TELL US!
