Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter

There is a furore in legal circles in respect of the response by Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, A.J. Nicholson, to comments made by Supreme Court Judge Almarie Sinclair-Haynes about the ministry's failure to provide hotel accommodation for her.

"On the face of it, it appears disgraceful," Frank Phipps, Q.C., said in respect to the treatment meted outto the judge.

In the meantime, the Independent Jamaican Council for Human Rights issued a statement yesterday describing the minister's statements as "an interference in the independence of the judiciary".

The judge, who was contacted yesterday by The Gleaner for the first time since the incident, said she was not pleased with Minister Nicholson's comments.

Reports are that the judge had said in open court on Monday that the ministry did not make any arrangement for her accommodation to preside in the Westmoreland Circuit Court. She said on Sunday night, when she went to the hotel where she was informed she would be staying, she was turned away because the ministry did not make the relevant payment.

The judge, who was responding yesterday to comments made by Mr. Nicholson, said she did not arrive at the hotel in "the dead of night". She said she left Kingston at 3:00 p.m. and arrived at the hotel in Negril at 9:00 p.m. Sunday.

US$800 demanded

She disclosed that, after the hotel management said no payment was made for her to stay, the hotel demanded US$800 (about J$54,000) from her. She said she was told that she could use her credit card to pay, but she said she had no credit card with her and the ministry had never given her a credit card.

The judge said she spent more than two hours at the hotel while the receptionist made contact with the hotel management. She said during that time people around were "snickering" at her because of her plight. She said after it was confirmed that she would not be accommodated if payment was not made in advance she left the hotel after 11:30 p.m.

She said, fortunately, the police were able to get accommodation for her at another hotel. The reception area at that hotel was closed when she arrived. She said she felt very humiliated when a security guard took her to a room and when she asked him about a room for her male orderly, the security guard replied "The two of you will have to stay in the same room." She said a police officer calledthe manager, who was very gracious and he arranged a room for the orderly.

barbara.gayle@gleanerjm.com