Video: Minister On Court Ruling On Rev Tweed
Minister Patricia Gordon Pamplin has responded to the court ruling on Reverend Nicholas Tweed, with the court saying that the Minister’s decision that he must settle his affairs and leave must be quashed.
Minister Gordon Pamplin said, “What I wanted to point out was obviously with the court’s judgment that was handed down concerning the Tweed case, I think it was very important to express our response to it.
“What was very clear in the judge’s judgment was the fact that the assertion that I was biased in the determination of the case has been totally rejected. So I’m very, very pleased about that.
“What he said is that he felt that I actually made it a point to operate under a principled position, and I think I’m very pleased about that. Obviously he found some short comings with respect to procedural matters, which we will have to look at to make the determination as to how best to rehear this particular application.”
“What I think is important is when he, when the judge, had asked that we or had suggested that there were some things procedurally incorrect. What is unclear, and what I have to take legal advice on, is the fact that my procedures require me to seize a file when an application is made within one month of the expiry of an existing permit, and that’s exactly what I did.
“So, I’m not certain how we are supposed to juxtapose that position against what my procedures are.
“As a result, in order not to fall afoul of the judge’s judgment, I need to ensure that I take legal advice in terms of how to ensure that a re-look at the situation doesn’t negate what the law, what the judge has ruled the law to be. So, that’s very important to us and I will make sure.
“The other thing that I have to take legal advice on, to be absolutely certain, is how we as a department deal with people who do not apply and do not conform with the policies, and secondarily how to deal with matters where people basically are untruthful on their applications.
“So, I think these are things that I have to take advice from, take legal advice from, in order to be satisfied that a re-look at the procedure is appropriately dealt with.
“I’ll obviously seek legal advice because I think the thing is it has it’s languished far too long in my estimation, so I think I have to go and seek some legal advice, and then I will know from that how long it will take.
“Obviously I will deal with it as a matter of urgency, as a matter of priority, so that we can have this matter put behind us. I just think that, obviously, from a department’s perspective, when there has been allegations of procedural impropriety or confusion, which is the way the judge put it, we want to make sure that we don’t have other cases.
“I’ve actually sent people home under similar circumstances in which their applications were incorrectly filled out, that we deemed them to be dishonest, and if I sent those people home the question then begs do I allow them to come back?
“So, I think that if we want to treat people fairly and consistently, it’s important that the decisions that are made are evenly and fairly applied across the board.”
