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From Barbados Today

Bridgetown, Barbados (January 19th 2016):-Former CLICO executive chairman Leroy Parris plans to file a constitutional motion in the High Court in an attempt to access his $4.5 million bank account that has been frozen for nearly a year.

An upset Hal Gollop, QC, who represents Parris, told the Barbados TODAY News  on Monday 18th  that after waiting for so long for a ruling from the High Court on his application to lift an interim injunction that froze his client’s assets, he was left with no option but to file a constitutional motion to speed up the process.

On January 27 last year, Justice William Chandler ordered the assets frozen in an ex parte hearing filed by CLICO’s judicial manager, Deloitte Consulting Limited against Parris, as first defendant, and his private company, Branlee Consulting Services Inc, as the second defendant.

The claim also named the estate of late Prime Minister David Thompson, represented by his widow and executrix, Mara Thompson, as the third defendant.

“We have heard nothing; absolutely nothing, and it’s been nearly a year now,” Gollop complained.

“On the 27 of January [2015] that matter came before the High Court and the order was made on the 29; so is just two weeks away from a year . . . a matter that should take a few days. It is a most unsatisfactory situation [and] the only remedy seems to be available is to file another constitutional motion . . . having filed one early last year when we couldn’t get the matter heard.”

According to the order, if Parris and/or Branlee Consulting Services Inc fail to comply with the terms of this order, they could be charged with contempt of court.

“The first defendant and second defendant may be liable to have an order of sequestration made in respect of his/its or their property, and in the case of Branlee Consulting Services Inc any of your directors may be sent to prison,” it stated.

In November last year, both Gollop and Vernon Smith, QC, who represents Parris’ private company, raised questions about the equality of the justice system in Barbados after the court moved speedily to hear an interim injunction in the Banks Holdings Limited (BHL) take-over case.

The two lawyers said at the time they were gravely concerned about the manner in which the court was treating their clients.

In mid-November, Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson lifted an injunction after just three days of legal arguments by lawyers representing BHL, as well as the Trinidadian conglomerate ANSA McAl and Brazilian beverage giant AMBEV, the two entities which were in a hostile bidding war for total ownership of the local brewery.

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