DPP v Senior Resident Magistrate for the Corporate Area
| Jurisdiction | Jamaica |
| Judge | King, J,E. Brown, J,Sinclair-Haynes J |
| Judgment Date | 26 March 2012 |
| Neutral Citation | [2012] JMFC Full 3 |
| Docket Number | CLAIM NO. 2011 HCV 03210 |
| Court | Supreme Court (Jamaica) |
| Date | 26 March 2012 |
[2012] JMFC Full 3
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF JUDICATURE OF JAMAICA
The Honourable Mr. Justice Raymund King
The Honourable Mrs. Justice Almarie Sinclair-Haynes
The Honourable Mr. Justice Evan Brown
CLAIM NO. 2011 HCV 03210
Lord Anthony Gifford Q.C., Ms. Tracey Johnson , Mrs. Kamar Henry-Anderson and Ms. Kerri Ann Kemble for the Claimant .
Miss Jacqueline Samuels-Brown Q.C., and Miss Tanya Mott for the Defendant.
Judicial review — whether subpoena for DPP to testify should be set aside — whether motive for subpoena improper-whether DPP can give relevant evidence — effect of section 94 (6) of Constitution
On the 27 th February 2008 Kern Spencer, Rodney Chin and Colleen Wright were charged before the Senior Resident Magistrate at the Resident Magistrate Court for the Corporate Area with a number of breaches of the Corruption Prevention Act and the Proceeds of Crime Act and with Fraud.
On the 4 th November 2008 a further information was laid against Kern Spencer alleging that he had while he was a Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Technology and Commerce, facilitated the engagement of Rodney Chin's firm to gain a benefit for himself.
On the 22 nd December 2008, the Director of Public Prosecutions, (D.P.P.) the lead prosecutor in the case wrote to Spencer's Attorney-at-Law informing him that she did not intend to proceed with the case against Rodney Chin, and she also so informed the Court on the same day.
On the 21 st January 2009 when a Nolle Prosequi was entered in respect of Chin the matter was adjourned on the application of the Defence.
On the 16 th April 2010, in response to an application from Defence Counsel, the Learned Resident Magistrate (R.M) ruled that the D.P.P should disclose to the Defence the substance of the interview which she had conducted with Rodney Chin prior to her discontinuing the prosecution against him. The D.P.P. purported to do by letter dated 19 th April 2010.
Dissatisfied with what was disclosed in the letter the Defence continued to make attempts to obtain further disclosure. Eventually, when the trial resumed on the 11 th April 2011, the attorney-at-Law for the defendant Spencer announced that he intended to call the D.P.P. as a witness and requested that she be made to stay out of hearing during the rest of the evidence of Rodney Chin who was then in the witness box.
On the 12 th April 2011 the Learned Resident Magistrate, in acceding to that request of the Defence ordered that the D.P.P., Miss Paula Llewellyn, remain out of hearing for the remainder of Rodney Chin's evidence.
On the 13 th April Miss Llewellyn was served with a subpoena issued on the 12 th April 2011, addressed to her in her personal capacity, requiring her to appear on the 19 th April 2011 to give evidence on behalf of the Defence. The D.P.P. requested that the Learned Resident Magistrate vacate the subpoena.
On the 19 th April 2011 the Learned Resident Magistrate refused to set aside the subpoena, ordering that “the usual behaviour adopted by subpoenaed witnesses is to be adopted by Miss Llewellyn”. Miss Llewellyn was bound over to appear as a witness on the 30 th May 2011.
On the 24 th May 2011 the D.P.P. obtained leave to make this application for Judicial Review and the trial was stayed pending the determination of the application.
In the application made by Fixed Date Claim Form filed on the 7 th June 2011 the D.P.P. seeks the following relief:-
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(a). a declaration that the issuing of a subpoena dated the 12 th April 2011 by the Clerk of Courts for the Resident Magistrate's Court for the Corporate Area at the instance of the accused Colleen W right; to Paula Llewellyn, the Director of Public Prosecutions and returnable on the 19 th day of April 2011 in the Resident Magistrate's Court for the Corporate Area is an abuse of the process of the Court.
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(b). an order of Certiorari to squash the decision of the Senior Resident Magistrate for the Corporate Area refusing to set aside the subpoena.
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(c). an order of Certiorari to quash the subpoena.
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(d). an order of Certiorari to quash the order of the Senior Resident Magistrate for the Corporate Area, that Paula Llewellyn, the D.P.P, should remain out of hearing for the remainder of the testimony of the witness Rodney Chin.
The Grounds stated in the application were in the interest of clarity reformulated by Lord Gifford Q.C., appearing on behalf of the D.P.P., and, as presented, those grounds may be summarized thus:
(Referred to by Counsel as the Primary Ground, and encompassing grounds 3, 4, 1(e) and 5).
The issuing of the subpoena was an abuse of the process of the court, it not having been sought for the bona fide purpose of obtaining relevant evidence, but for an improper and ulterior purpose, viz.,
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(a) to embark on a fishing expedition to seek support for allegations of misconduct and corruption on the part of the D.P.P. for which there is absolutely no foundation; and
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(b) for the further ulterior motive (referred to in grounds 1 (c) and 1 (d) of embarrassing and weakening the prosecution by removing the D.P.P from her role as lead prosecutor.
(Re-stating grounds 1 (b) and (2)
The intent and/or consequences of requiring the D.P.P. to testify is that she will be exposed, directly or indirectly to questions about the reason for her decision to discontinue the prosecution of Mr. Chin, thus undermining her independence which the constitution guarantees in its S.94.
The Learned Resident Magistrate's decision is flawed because no reasons have been given. (This ground was not pursued.)
(With reference to grounds 1(a) and 1(b) It is accepted on behalf of the D.P.P. that a subpoena obtained in good faith for the eliciting of relevant evidence could not be set aside merely on the grounds that other witnesses are available to give that evidence.
This fourth ground then, makes a concession in relation to grounds 1 (a) and 1 (b) of the grounds in the Fixed Date Claim Form in so far as they complain of the availability of other witnesses as a ground for quashing the subpoena.
Though it was not argued in limine, it is convenient at this stage to deal with a point raised by Mrs. Samuels-Brown Q.C. on behalf of that Respondent. It was contended that the D.P.P. in her official capacity had no LOCUS STANDI to apply for Judicial Review, this being a procedure developed for the protection of private citizens against the excessive acts of the state. Whereas a statutory body created to represent and protect the interests of private citizens might seek Judicial Review, the same does not apply to the D.P.P., she being, it is argued, a public servant, an arm of government, and a member of the executive.
The arguments on both sides of this issue and the representative authorities in support thereof have been comprehensively described in the judgment of my Learned Colleagues which I have had the advantage of having read. I agree with their conclusion that the D.P.P. does have standing to bring this application. Though the subpoena was addressed to her in her personal capacity it is to have her testify in relation to her activities at D.P.P. thus in her personal capacity she is undoubtedly a person compelled to attend court, willingly or not, and therefore is adversely affected ( CPR 56.2(a)). In her official capacity, the matters about which she is being summoned to testify certainly take the subject matter of this application within her statutory remit ( C.P.R 56.2 (d)).
The necessity to act through or with the permission of the Attorney General in a relator action applies to private law civil suits, and not to application for Judicial Review. The intervention of the Attorney General is necessary where a claimant seeks the private law remedies of a declaration or an injunction in respect of a public wrong from which the Claimant neither had any right of his own infringed, nor suffered any particulars damage over and above that suffered by the general public.
For centuries before the introduction of the Civil Procedure Rules the common law offered remedies for public wrongs through the prerogative writs of certiorari, mandamus and prohibition. The Judicature Supreme Court Act by the provisions of section 51 (1) empowered the Supreme Court to grant the remedies previously available through the prerogative writs, by way of Orders of Mandamus, Prohibition, and Certiorari. The Civil Procedure Rules in 2003 sought to regulate the procedure for applying for and obtaining these remedies. The application was to be for “Judicial Review” specifying which of the remedies was being applied for.
Further, Rule 56.1 (4) purported to empower the Judicial Review Court, in addition or instead of the three traditional remedies of the prerogative orders, without the issue of further proceedings, to grant the following remedies previously available only in private civil suits, viz.;
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(a) an injunction
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(b) restitution or damages, or
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(c ) an order for the return of any property real or personal
Notable is the fact that a declaration is not included even though Rules 56 (1) and (2) mention an application for a declaration as one of the applications which, along with an application for judicial review, and others, make up the definition of application for an “administrative order.” Clearly an application for a declaration is not to be included in relief sought by way of judicial review, but must be applied for separately.
In respect of private civil remedies sought to be...
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