Reports are surfacing that an official criminal complaint has been filed with the Trinidad Tobago Police Service against Grenadian lawyer Dr Francis Alexis, QC and President of the Caribbean Court of Justice Sir Dennis Byron.
It alleges that Dr. Alexis accepted a bribe from Sir Dennis to support publication of his book “Changing Caribbean Constitutions, second edition”
The complaint comes from Dominican attorney Cabral Douglas.
Dr. Alexis has been accused of accepting money from the Canadian Department of Foreign affairs and Trade which was earmarked for the Caribbean Judicial Reform and Institutional Strengthening Project, better known as the JURIST project, to finance publication of the book.
The complaint states that in 2015 when Sir Dennis Byron was director of the Jurist Project, he made the funds available to Dr Alexis although publication of the book was not a part of the project.
Dr. Alexis this afternoon issued a press release on the matter saying that Douglas’ complaint is “plainly ridiculous”.
He outlined several points relating to his argument that there’s nothing corrupt and points to universities such as UWI, Cambridge and Oxford, themselves, which print and publish books.
According to Alexis, they do so, to propagate knowledge, spread learning, increase information, enhance enlightenment; all for the development of civilization, which according to him, in his 10-point contention, falls in conformity with UN sustainable development goals
Alexis contends that in 2015 the JURIST Project, administering funding put up by DFATD from Canada, paid printers in Dominica to print Changing Caribbean Constitutions (second edition).
The press release further noted that certain private sector bodies paid printers in Barbados to print the book H. Aubrey Fraser: Eminent Caribbean Jurist (1985) which was written by the Grenadian lawyer.
Alexis, however, is saying that the Press Release by Cabral Douglas is obviously libelous.
He has instructed his Lawyers to begin the process of seeking justice in the Courts against Cabral Douglas.
