A new High Court Judge will have to be assigned to the matter involving a PSA member and government’s plan to introduce the long-touted T&T Revenue Authority (TTRA).
This is now the case after Justice Betsy-Ann Lambert-Peterson agreed to recuse herself from the lawsuit on Thursday.
Justice Lambert-Peterson conceded after hearing submissions during a hearing yesterday morning.
Prior to this, she twice rejected calls from PSA and customs officer Terrisa Dhoray to recuse herself from the case.
While Justice Lambert-Peterson rejected Dhoray’s allegations over her potential bias due to her marriage, she noted that her decision was based on the need to preserve public trust and confidence in the Judiciary.
“I am not prepared to have the administration of justice trampled on. I am not going to be a party to it to persuade anyone that the court will be impartial or unbiased,” she said.
Her decision on the issue means that the substantive case now has to be reassigned to another judge.
On July 4, the Court of Appeal is scheduled to hear an appeal over Justice Lambert-Peterson’s decision to refuse Dhoray an injunction barring the implementation of the TTRA until the substantive case is determined.