By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder said some defence lawyers use adjournments as a litigation strategy for their clients, an “unacceptable” practice contributing to trial delays.

“Certainly, legitimate reasons for adjournments are understandable, but today defence council clearly use it as a litigation strategy, and its unacceptable,” he said at an event marking the opening of the legal year. “I implore the private Bar to be more principled in their litigation strategy, and I ask the judiciary to have a firmer grip on the functions in their courts and not allow misguided litigation strategies to cause continued delays in hearing and concluding matters.”

Mr Pinder also said the central government bears some responsibility for trial delays, noting that more than 150 matters are awaiting a pathology report. He said he spoke to Health Minister Dr Michael Darville about building capacity in this area.

“We need to improve our forensics lab,” he said. “These are core matters the central government is committed to address.”

Mr Pinder said the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions disposed of 314 matters in the Supreme Court last year.

“The acting director of public prosecutions has been working hard to manage a department with a caseload that is larger than the number of prosecutors we have to handle them,” he said. “We are in a continual recruitment exercise for prosecutors.”

He also noted that at least 19 new court facilities with chambers for judges will be built “on the site of 50 and 52 Shirley Street and the Rodney Bain building, spanning from Parliament Street to Charlotte Street.” He said construction on the buildings will begin later this year, and officials hope it will be completed within two years.

He hopes a family and juvenile court complex on Bernard Road will open in the first half of this year. He said the complex will house Supreme Court and Magistrate Court facilities and will have supporting central government agencies such as the police and social services.

He added: “We will also encourage mediation as a dispute resolution option, especially in sensitive family matters. We will acquire the necessary facilities to launch a commercial court and arbitration centre to facilitate the effective and specialised resolution of commercial disputes. By building a new Supreme Court, we will have facilities made available for a Sexual Offences Court and for a new Coroner Court. We are committed to providing the necessary infrastructure for the Judiciary to provide effective and efficient adjudication of disputes and provide justice.”