Urgent Justice Reform needed
A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. In its simple sense, no amount of money can compensate when someone’s good name is tarnished by false utterances of others. It is a total injustice to bear false witness against someone, and this is not tolerated in any religion.
Two years ago, Jack Warner went on a political platform and accused the former AG of corruption stating that he had corruptly acquired over 51 properties. Jack put this across so convincingly that the population was the judge and the jury condemning Mr. Ramlogan without a fair chance.
Today, Justice Mohammed found the allegations were fabricated and concocted and awarded over 8 hundred thousand dollars in damages; one of the highest compensation awards for defamation in our legal history.
Eight hundred thousand dollars is a mere drop in the bucket and cannot fix the two years of ridicule, slander, contempt and public attacks caused by this. What about his family? Are they being compensated too?
It’s good that Justice Mohammed set the stakes a bit higher so that persons would think twice before they slander someone.
I hope that there will be urgent reform in the justice system so that cases like these can be dealt with immediately since character assassination is worse than murder.
Derrick Johnson
Via email