by Global News Staff
CASTRIES, St Lucia — The government of St Lucia has issued a statement clarifying the position regarding the legal action brought by a former judge of the Eastern Caribbean Court, Denys Barrow.
The statement said that Justice Barrow was not an employee of the St Lucia government, but rather the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC) of the OECS, and that St Lucia serves as a jurisdiction only for the purpose of assessing pensions due to judges.
The statement added that the JLSC was of the opinion that Barrow was not entitled to pension as he had resigned before fulfilling the minimum criteria for the grant of a pension.
It further stated that the St Lucia government approached the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal for its advisory opinion and a special sitting of three English legal luminaries was convened.
The appellate court shared the opinion of the JLSC that Barrow did not qualify for pension benefits as “he did not meet the benchmark requirements under the Pensions Act of St Lucia and Rates of Pension Judges Act, No. 12 of 1989.”
The statement concluded that the St Lucia government wished to reiterate its position that it is not its intension to withhold any benefits due to Barrow. The government stands prepared to pay any benefits it is required to pay in accordance with the law, the statement said.
