Antigua and Barbuda: Disciplinary action being taken against Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh

The Chief Magistrate of Antigua and Barbuda, Joanne Walsh is facing allegations of failing to transmit collected funds to the government treasury and the destruction of magistrates’ notes, vouchers, and government property.

The allegations were brought forth by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC) and the case is currently undergoing hearings at a special tribunal. Following a request from Hildred Simpson, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Legal Affairs, an investigation was launched into Chief Magistrate Walsh’s conduct.

Justice Godfrey Smith was appointed on the case by the commission which is taking the allegations very seriously. The allegations first came to the forefront when Joanne Walsh was serving as the Acting Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

Walsh also attempted to halt the investigation by trying to file an injunction on the grounds that the permanent secretary had exceeded her mandate. As expected though, her attempt to secure an interim injunction failed on Monday. Judge Jan Drysdale ruled that Walsh had failed to provide any evidence that substantiated her claims of abuse of power.

The process from the allegations being levelled to the investigation has been going on for several months. This has become a high-profile case in Antigua and Barbuda and for good reason as well, considering the high rank that Magistrate Joanne Walsh holds in public office and the implications of the allegations for public service institutions in the nation.

Through this whole process and due to the failure of her injunction, Chief Magistrate Walsh now has no course for reprieve. She has no option but to face the 10 disciplinary charges that have been levelled against her.

The questions that are raised now are whether the allegations actually hold merit and if so, how the appropriate authorities will try to mitigate the impact of such a scandalous affair that involves a public servant at the very top of the nation’s judicial system.

There is also a monetary question that comes up here as the core issue in this case is the misappropriation of government funds. Questions like what happened to the funds, how Chief Magistrate Walsh managed to get at them without being noticed and whether there are other individuals involved in the scandal are on the minds of every citizen of the nation. It would be interesting to see what the outcome of this investigation and the subsequent decision that the tribunal reaches are.