From left: Pierre and Pratt
Deputy Prime Minister Philip Jn Pierre has responded to concerns made by Margaret Pratt, whose husband Roger Pratt was robbed and murdered on their yacht in St. Lucia, in January.
Jn Pierre said St. Lucia is doing its best to bring some closure to the family.
“Many things we would like to happen quicker, but the fact is we are doing our best and the process is continuing,” the deputy prime minister told the media recently.
Asked if the new criminal judge that was promised will be confirmed anytime soon, Jn Pierre said it is a process and the government is still working on it.
“We have resource constraints. We are doing all we can do in the current fiscal environment,” he said.
A second criminal judge was promised at the beginning of this year.
Margaret had criticised the island’s justice system in a recent interview with the Telegraph newspaper in the United Kingdom. She is also demanding that the police speed up the investigation.
Pratt found her husband Roger, 62, a retired engineer, floating face-down in the sea after four men stormed their yacht and attacked the couple.
Four men – Richie Kern, Kervin Devaux, Fannis Joseph and Jeromine Jones - who were arrested for her husband’s murder appeared before the Second District Court in Vieux Fort for the third time on Friday, April 11.
The last court appearance was aimed at determining whether there is sufficient evidence to commit them to trial. Nothing has been heard since.
Many persons have complained bitterly about the slow pace of justice on the island and are not confident in the courts. About 2,000 criminal cases and 12 trials are brought before the court, with one sitting criminal judge.