Anand Ramlogan | |
---|---|
Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago | |
In office 28 May 2010 –2 February 2015 | |
Preceded by | John Jeremie |
Succeeded by | Garvin Nicholas |
Personal details | |
Born | Ben Lomond,San Fernando,Victoria County,Trinidad and Tobago |
Political party | United National Congress |
Spouse | Nalini Nanan |
Alma mater | University of the West Indies,Queen Mary &Westfield College,University of Westminster |
Occupation | Attorney at Law S.C. |
Anand Ramlogan is a member of the Bar of Trinidad and Tobago,England &Wales and the British Virgin Islands. [1] He is the founder and head of Freedom Law Chambers [1] which is based in the city of San Fernando,Trinidad. He served as junior counsel to the late Sir Fenton Ramsahoye QC [2] in whose footsteps he followed to become the Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago during the period 28 May 2010 –2 February 2015. [3] As Attorney General,he was also the titular head of the bar.
Ramlogan is also a constitutional and human rights lawyer,having been called to the bar of Trinidad and Tobago in 1996 and the bar of England and Wales in 1994 and was appointed Senior Counsel on 30 December 2011. He was awarded the prestigious Express Individual of the Year award in 2004 joining a distinguished list of recipients that includes former Chief Justice Michael DeLabastide,Prime Ministers,Presidents and other prominent citizens for his outstanding work in successfully representing ordinary citizens whose rights were violated by the government. [4]
He is a member of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple (U.K.),the holder of an L.L.B. degree and a Master's in Corporate and Commercial Law. [5] Ramlogan is one of the top legal minds in the Caribbean. He frequently appears in leading cases for or against the state in the superior courts including the London-based final appellate court,the Privy Council where he has done numerous appeals. His recent cases in the Privy Council include:
He received his primary education at the Reform Presbyterian School and secondary schooling at ASJA Boys' College and Pleasantville Senior Comprehensive,in San Fernando. [19] On completing secondary school,he entered the University of the West Indies,Cave Hill campus,Barbados,to read for his Bachelor of Laws degree where he won several prizes for academic excellence including the Mark of Merit and best all round student.
Ramlogan was awarded several post-graduate scholarships and read for his LLM (in corporate and commercial law) at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies,Queen Mary &Westfield College,University of London (now known as the Queen Mary University). Whilst at the Queen Mary &Westfield,he simultaneously pursued a post-graduate diploma in Law at the University of Westminster,courtesy the British Chevening Scholarship and the British Foreign Office Scholarship programme. [19]
He is an advocate who is known for his pioneering work in the field of human rights,constitutional and public law where he represents the interests of the average man against the government. He uses the instrument of the law to achieve social transformation and many of his cases have prompted significant changes in the law. He gives advice on a wide range of matters to public officials and lawyers in other Caribbean countries. He is admitted to practice in the British Virgin Islands (BVI),St Lucia and Anguilla.
His recent legal exploits include successful challenges to the appointment of Gary Griffith as Commissioner of Police, [20] constitutional challenges to the Proceeds of Crime Act [21] and the property tax legislation [22] which effectively prevented the government from implementing the property tax for over 5 years.
He has appeared in over 50 Privy Council appeals [23] and has also appeared before the Caribbean Court of Justice. Recent cases before the UK-based Judicial Committee of Her Majesty's Privy Council (the highest court for Trinidad and Tobago) include:
He has done numerous cases in the High Court and Court of Appeal in breach of contract,defamation,discrimination,police brutality,medical negligence,personal injuries and commercial law.
Mr. Ramlogan has a distinguished record in public service and has served on many committees and statutory bodies such as the Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago,the Law Reform Commission,the Civil Aviation Authority,the Commission of Enquiry into the Administration of Justice and the Vision 2020 plan for Constitutional Reform. [36]
Anand entered politics as a candidate for the Congress of the People (COP) under the leadership of Professor Winston Dookeran. He contested the seat for the constituency of Tabaquite in 2007 but subsequently re-joined the United National Congress after Kamla Persad-Bissessar was elected political leader. [37] He was subsequently appointed a government senator and Attorney General. [38] [36]
Prior to his appointment as Attorney General,Ramlogan was a prominent lawyer who had become a household name for championing the legal cause of many poor and downtrodden citizens. He also won many historic cases against the People's National Movement government for persons such as former CEO of the San Fernando City Corporation Marlene Coudray,Devant Maharaj,Feroza Ramjohn,George Daniel and Damien Belfonte. [39]
Anand was also an active member of the media,hosting a radio talk show with radio 90.5 FM,was a columnist with the leading daily newspapers,the Sunday Guardian,the Express and the Newsday newspapers for many years. [40] His views are sought after by the media on a wide range of legal,social and political issues.
On 26 May 2010,two days after the success of the People's Partnership in the 2010 General Election,Anand Ramlogan was appointed a Senator and Attorney General by Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Under Section 75 (2) of the constitution,the Attorney General must be appointed forthwith after the prime minister in order for the Cabinet to be properly established. [41]
In 2019,Ramlogan was charged with misconduct in public office. [42] He maintained that he was the victim of political conspiracy. The charges were eventually discontinued by the DPP after it was discovered that millions of dollars had been secretly paid by the new PNM Government to the prosecution's lone witness as part of an undisclosed illicit indemnity agreement. [43] [44]
Former independent senator and president of the law association Martin Daly SC said it was akin to bounty hunting. [45]
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies,the British Overseas Territories,some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 August 1833 to hear appeals formerly heard by the King-in-Council,the Privy Council formerly acted as the court of last resort for the entire British Empire,other than for the United Kingdom itself.
The Caribbean Court of Justice is the judicial institution of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Established in 2005,it is based in Port of Spain,Trinidad and Tobago.
Eric A. Williams was a Trinidad and Tobago politician until November 2007 and was Member of Parliament for Port of Spain South. Until his resignation from the Cabinet in January 2006,he served as the Minister of Energy and Energy Industries in the then People's National Movement government,a post he had held since December 2001. A geologist and geophysicist by training,Williams entered Parliament in 1995 when he won the Port of Spain South seat formerly held by PNM founder Dr. Eric Williams.
Jack Austin Warner is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian politician,businessman,and former football executive. Warner was Vice President of FIFA and President of CONCACAF until his suspension and eventual resignation from these roles in 2011. He is also the former Minister of National Security of Trinidad and Tobago and was an elected member of the country's parliament from 2007 to 2015. He was also the owner of Joe Public F.C.,a professional football club in Tunapuna,Trinidad and Tobago. Warner has been implicated in numerous corruption scandals and was banned for life from football related activities by FIFA in 2015. He currently faces extradition to the United States to face corruption charges.
Basdeo Panday was a Trinidadian and Tobagonian statesman,lawyer,politician,trade unionist,economist,and actor who served as the fifth Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2001. He was the first person of Indian descent along with being the first Hindu to hold the office of Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. He was first elected to Parliament in 1976 as the Member for Couva North,Panday served as Leader of the Opposition four times between 1976 and 2010 and was a founding member of the United Labour Front (ULF),the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR),and the United National Congress (UNC). He served as leader of the ULF and UNC,and was President General of the All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers' Trade Union from 1973 to 1995.
The Congress of the People (COP) is a political party in Trinidad and Tobago. Its current political leader is Kirt Sinnette. Its symbol is the "Circle of Circles".
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) people in Trinidad and Tobago face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same rights and benefits as that of opposite-sex couples.
Devant Maharaj is a Trinidad and Tobago politician,and social activist. He is a leading member of the United National Congress. On 27 June 2011,he became a member of the Senate of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Minister of Transport following his appointment as Chairman of the Public Services Transport Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago.
The Supreme Court of Judicature of Barbados is the highest judicial body in the country of Barbados. It is made up of the High Court and the Court of Appeals.
British Coal Corp v R is a decision of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in which the authority of the Canadian Parliament to prohibit appeals to the JCPC in criminal cases was upheld.
The People's Partnership (PP) was a political coalition in Trinidad and Tobago among five political parties:the United National Congress (UNC),the Congress of the People (COP),the Tobago Organization of the People (TOP),Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) and National Joint Action Committee (NJAC). The political leader was Kamla Persad-Bissessar. The coalition was formed in advance of the 2010 general election attempting to form a multi-ethnic opposition bloc against the People's National Movement (PNM) government led by Patrick Manning. The coalition won the 2010 General Elections defeating the People's National Movement on May 24,2010. On September 7,2015,the coalition was defeated in the 2015 General Elections to the People's National Movement led by Keith Rowley. The coalition saw the departure of the Movement for Social Justice in 2012 and eventually disbanded on December 8, 2015.
Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona is a Trinidadian politician who was the fifth President of Trinidad and Tobago from 2013 to 2018. Previously,he was a High Court Judge at the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago,and he served as a Judge of the International Criminal Court from 2012 to 2013.
Nadan v R is a key ruling of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in determining the competence of the Parliament of Canada with respect to the restrictions laid out in the Colonial Laws Validity Act 1865,and whether it possessed extraterritorial jurisdiction.
Gary Griffith is a former commissioner of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service,having served a term in office for the period 18 August 2018 to 17 August 2021 Under the previous government,led by a coalition including the party currently in Opposition,he had been appointed as Minister of National Security in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday 6 September 2013. Between May 2010 and September 2013,he had served as National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister. Griffith was a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force for 15 years,where he attained the rank of captain in 1998. He retired his Commissioned Officer position in May 2005. This attainment to the rank of captain was achieved after just six years service,which was an unprecedented achievement. He was the first military officer from this country to return home with a United Nations Peacekeeping Medal. He has also received the Efficiency decoration medal [EDM] for 12 years distinguished service as well as the Meritorious medal for duties performed during the 1990 attempted coup in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
Boyce v R is a 2004 Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) case which upheld the law that sets out a mandatory sentence of death for murder in Barbados.
Ivor Archie is a Trinidadian jurist who has served as chief justice of Trinidad and Tobago since 2008. He was formerly solicitor general of the Cayman Islands.
Collymore v Attorney General [1969] UKPC 11 is a case of the Privy Council relevant for UK labour law,concerning the right to strike.
Garvin Edward Timothy Nicholas is a Trinidad and Tobago politician and former diplomat. He served as a temporary Opposition Senator representing the United National Congress (UNC) in the 8th Republican Parliament and the 10th Republican Parliament. He was the Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2010 until 2013 and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for Trinidad and Tobago to Denmark,Finland,Norway,Sweden and Germany. He served as the Attorney General for Trinidad and Tobago from 3 February 2015 until 17 June 2015. He is the leader of the Movement for National Development (MND),a political party which contested the 2020 general election.
The 2023 Trinidadian local elections were held on Monday,August 14,2023,across all 141 electoral districts in Trinidad's 14 municipal corporation electoral areas. The elections follow a 3-2 ruling on May 18,2023,from the United Kingdom's Judicial Committee of the Privy Council,the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago's highest court of appeal,which stated that the government's one-year extension of the mandate of councillors and alderman was unlawful. The matter was brought before the Law Lords of the Privy Council by Ravi Balgobin Maharaj,and his legal team led by Anand Ramlogan,SC. The legal action taken by Ravi Balgobin Maharaj was necessary after the PNM government decided to extend the election by one year,which the Privy Council ruled was inconsistent with the rule of Democracy. The judgement handed down to Ravi Balgobin Maharaj by the Law Lords was a landmark ruling in the Commonwealth and marks the first time that a Court upheld the rights of citizens to vote in a Local Government Election.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)