The advent of the Bill of Rights in November this year will sharpen focus on how the three branches of Government interact to the rule of law, including human rights and good governance, Attorney General the Hon. Samuel Bulgin, QC, said.
Outlining coming events during the formal 2012 opening of the Grand Court on Wednesday (11 January), Mr. Bulgin noted provisions in the Bill of Rights will impact every public official, especially those in law enforcement.
The Bill of Rights “mandates that all decisions and acts by public officials must be lawful, rational, proportionate and procedurally fair,” he explained. Also, it would be unlawful for public officials to act or make decisions incompatible with these rights, he added.
The Attorney General emphasised that for the criminal justice system to be effective, the police cannot work alone. “All members of the community need to be involved, witnesses must come forward,” he said.
Protection of witnesses, which is now provided through legislation and other avenues, will remain a continued focus this year. The Director of Public Prosecutions’ office will shortly publish a charter for witnesses to highlight the legislative provisions and improve awareness of the witness protection system, he said.
A legislative and procedural framework is also underway to focus on the accountability of public officials.
Additionally, legislation is expected this year to further strengthen the work of the Commission on Standards in Public Life, thereby enhancing the good governance model being developed for the Cayman Islands, he added.
Acknowledging a difficult last year for Cayman both in crime and financially, he noted one silver-lining was raising the number of Tax Information Exchange Agreements now signed to 27, underscoring the Islands’ commitment to the global standard.
(GIS)
