Sunday, January 26, 2014

No powers to make things better: Judicial Complaints Reviewer to stand down from MacAskill’s “window dressing” justice watchdog over errant judges

Moi Ali, Scotland’s First Judicial Complaints Reviewer to stand down over lack of support from Scottish Government. SCOTLAND’S Judicial Complaints Reviewer (JCR) is to stand down from the post created by legislation in 2008 which was intended to investigate and review how judges investigate complaints against themselves.

It has been revealed that Moi Ali, the first person to hold the office of Judicial Complaints Reviewer has told Scotland’s Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill that she will not seek a second term in the role because she has complained the post is mere “window dressing” and “tokenism”.

Moi Ali, who took on the post of JCR after it was created in 2008 has endured a difficult term due to a lack of cooperation from the judicial office who refused to share documents and details relating to complaints made by members of the public against judges.

In particular, Moi Ali encountered difficulties in dealing with Scotland’s top judge, Lord President Lord Brian Gill, who it was revealed, had dismissed earlier findings against fellow judges, and had gone on to brand the office of Judicial Complaints Reviewer as “a third party” when it came to handing over details on complaints made against judicial colleagues and discussions on how those complaints had been investigated by other judges.

What's the point of a watchdog without teeth - Sunday Mail 22 September 2013MacAskill created a watchdog without teeth on orders of angry judges with undeclared secrets. The position of Judicial Complaints Reviewer was created by an Act of the Scottish Parliament in 2008, principally highlighted in Section 30, S31 and S32 of the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008.

However, protests from vested interests within Scotland’s judiciary and legal profession from Scotland’s judges who were “dead against” proposals to create an independent form of regulation of judges resulted in what legal observers have branded “a cowardly capitulation” by Justice Minister MacAskill.

The lobbying from Scotland’s unaccountable judges and their allies in the justice system led to the creation of a Judicial Complaints Reviewer without any statutory powers, working on a three days a month basis and with an annual budget of £2000 and no staff.

In England and Wales, the situation is very different from Scotland, where the Office for Judicial Complaints has 15 staff and publishes details of upheld complaints. If complainants remain dissatisfied with how their case was handled, they can appeal to the Judicial Appointment and Conduct Ombudsman, headed by Sir John Brigstocke, with 14 staff.

And, although Scotland’s Judicial Complaints Reviewer has been given no statutory powers to deal with complaints against judges, the Judicial Appointment and Conduct Ombudsman in England has statutory powers enshrined in law,  and can overturn decisions, order reinvestigations and ask for victims to be compensated.

Judicial Investigator Moi Ali left in the dark over complaints against Scottish Judges - NO She May Not 10 Feb 2013 Sunday Mail

First Annual Report of JCR for 2011-2012 revealed Scotland’s top judge froze out independent Judicial Investigator. To illustrate what has become a consistent lack of cooperate from the judicial office, the first annual report from Moi Ali last year reiterated concerns over refusals by judges  to share information  with investigators, previously reported in February by the Sunday Mail newspaper and featured on Diary of Injustice here: Annual Report revealed Lord President Lord Gill ‘froze out’ Judicial Complaints Reviewer amid series of revoked findings, secret unshared memos & dismissed complaints.

Ms Ali’s first annual report, which can be read online here : Judicial Complaints Reviewer Annual report 20011- 2012 or available via the JCR’s website HERE reveals a series of incidents where her office has been blocked by the Lord President from accessing communications, internal memos and reports between the office and the judges about complaints.

In one particular case, Ms Ali revealed in her report “When the Judicial Office made an initial assessment of this complaint, it was not reasonable for them to conclude that the behaviour complained about, which left the complainer “insecure and scared”, fell into the category of judicial decision/case management/court programming. According to the Rules, they should have referred that element of the complaint to the disciplinary judge for consideration. This did not happen, and instead the complaint, in its entirety, was dismissed. For that reason I made a referral to the Lord President, who then revoked that part of the original determination and referred it to the disciplinary judge, who then dismissed the complaint.”

Second annual report - JCR lacks much needed powers. The Judicial Complaints Reviewer’s 2012-2013 annual report revealed continuing issues of concern and further instances where the Judicial Office has refused to share files and paperwork in relation to complaints made against judges and how were handled.

The report also makes reference to incidents such as where Scotland’s top judge Lord Brian Gill refused to hand over information to the JCR. Gill claimed Moi Ali’s office was a "Third Party" and that data cannot be shared with her office for reasons of confidentiality. However, the confidentiality concerns of Gill appear to be restricted to Scotland, as the same information in England & Wales is published online.

It also emerged in the JCR’s second annual report that even though a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the JCR & Judicial Office earlier this year on respective roles, responsibilities and agreed undertakings, the situation regarding the contents of files has not been resolved to Ms Ali’s satisfaction.

The Sunday Mail newspaper reported on issues raised in the JCR’s second annual report, including calls from Moi Ali for the Scottish Government to act over the lack of scrutiny and transparency in Scotland’s judiciary.More can be read here: Calls for Justice Secretary to get tough with anti-transparency judges as Judicial Investigator reveals weak-by-design scrutiny fails to protect public from errant judges

JCR SUPPORTED REGISTER OF JUDICIAL INTERESTS PETITION:

In support of Petition 1458, Judicial Complaints Reviewer Moi Ali wrote in her 2012-2013 Annual Report of her recognition of the issues of transparency raised in the petition, and recommended “any judicial register of interests should not be limited to pecuniary interests, but should also encompass non-financial interests such as memberships, unpaid trusteeships, and any relevant close family/friendship links that may be perceived as a potential conflict of interest.” Video footage of the evidence session in which the JCR answered questions from MSPs can be viewed here :

JCR Moi Ali gives evidence to Scottish Parliament on a proposed Register of Judicial Interests (Click image to view video)

JCR 2012-2013 Annual Report confirms support for a Register of Judicial Interests, recommends extending interests to be declared. Register of Interests : I was invited to submit written evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Petitions Committee on a register of interests for the judiciary and I did so in May.

I  supported the view of the petitioner, Peter Cherbi, that a register of interests would increase the transparency of the judiciary and ensure public confidence in the judiciary’s actions and decisions.

Responses from the Lord President, the Law Society of Scotland and the Scottish Government suggested that a register of interests is unnecessary because, among other things, the complaints process is a safeguard.

As Judicial Complaints Reviewer, I believe that some of the necessary independent safeguards are missing from the complaints process. In any event, registers of interest are now a normal part of public life.

We are fortunate to have an independent judiciary, whose independence must never be undermined. However, independence must not be confused with lack of accountability. Better transparency would enhance the judiciary’s standing and bring parity between judicial office holders and other holders of important roles in public life.

Although not required to do so, I prepared my own register of interests in May 2013, which was publicised using social media, is published on my website and also reproduced in this report. I believe that the JCR should be required to publish their interests, either by legislation or as a requirement set out in their letter of appointment from the Minister. Their independent oversight role makes the publication of their interests all the more important.

I suggested in my evidence that any judicial register of interests should not be limited to pecuniary interests, but should also encompass non-financial interests such as memberships, unpaid trusteeships, and any relevant close family/friendship links that may be perceived as a potential conflict of interest.

I based my comments on the cases that I have reviewed and the nature of the original complaints raised. I followed up in September with oral evidence and further written evidence, an account of which will be given next year.

Previous articles on the lack of transparency within Scotland’s judiciary, investigations by Diary of Injustice including reports from the Sunday Mail newspaper, and video footage of debates at the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee can be found here : A Register of Interests for Scotland's Judiciary

Petition PE1458: Register of Interests for members of Scotland's judiciary is due to be heard again at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday 28th January 2014 and will include a report or comment on a private meeting held last Tuesday between the Convener and Deputy Convener of the Public Petitions Committee and Scotland’s top judge Lord Brian Gill.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pity she had not pushed for a second term because from what I can see of your blog and the video coverage of her evidence to MSPs Moi Ali is one of the few honest people inside the justice system.

Anonymous said...

and more to the point,what is the point of a Justice Secretary who takes orders from the money making legal establishment?

Anonymous said...

also in the Sunday Herald notice the dry statement from the SNP posing as a "Scottish government"

thank you and good night is a good example of how the SNP deal with people who actually tell the truth and a massive warning to the rest of us

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/judicial-watchdog-quits-from-straightjacket-role.23272915

Judicial watchdog quits from 'straightjacket' role
Paul Hutcheon
Investigations Editor
Sunday 26 January 2014

etc etc

Ali said: "I believe that I've been able to make a difference, albeit in a small way - which is not only personally satisfying, but important for the people who use my service. Ultimately, that's what it's all about.

"I feel that I have achieved all that I can within the constraints of legislation that has created a JCR role that has independence without the power to change anything.

"I can freely comment, criticise, persuade, suggest, speak out - but I have no power to make things different and better.

"Without the ability to implement change, the role feels tokenistic and I've never been one to go along with tokenism."

Graeme Pearson, Scottish Labour's justice spokesman and a former top police officer, said: "Moi Ali accepted an important responsibility and was keen to do the job.

"She should have been supported and encouraged - instead her role developed as an unwitting sop for this SNP Government at a time our justice system requires genuine openness and accountability. She and the Scottish public deserved better."

Liberal Democrat MSP Alison McInnes said: "The Justice Secretary asked Ms Ali to do a job and then point-blank refused to give her the support and resources she needed to deliver. This is simply not good enough.

"Moi Ali's frustration over the lack of support she has received from ministers is wholly understandable. Her decision to stand down is an indictment of the lacklustre approach to transparency that the Justice Secretary has taken."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "We do not comment on personnel issues. We thank Ms Ali for the work she has done in her post to date."

Anonymous said...

Petition PE1458: Register of Interests for members of Scotland's judiciary is due to be heard again at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday 28th January 2014 and will include a report or comment on a private meeting held last Tuesday between the Convener and Deputy Convener of the Public Petitions Committee and Scotland’s top judge Lord Brian Gill.

lol

Private meeting or was it private beating by the judge?

Disgusting

Anonymous said...

Another example of how England differs greatly from the backward justice system in Scotland because ours is controlled by lawyers and these vested interests.

The judges will be wanting to stick the knife into you too because of this bloody good petition of yours and Moi Ali knew it was the right thing to support it.

Anonymous said...

Only crooks are against transparency. Why am I not surprised. Perhaps the BBC should do a program of Lord Gill and his secretive colleagues.

As for the MSP's crooks the lot of them.

Anonymous said...

Gill and his chums will be dancing on the tables at the news

Anonymous said...

Window Dressing is about all MacAskill and the SNP are good for.They have thousands convinced Scotland will be better off under their control but the true test of how a country is,is the justice system itself.So MacBuckfast all you have to show for it is a clogged up toilet full of judges wigs bribes to lawyers and bent prosecutors with pockets full of cash to keep them happy and away from investigating what they should be.

Anonymous said...

I think Moi Ali has realised the Scottish justice system and the judges is so broken it cannot be fixed

Anonymous said...

One would have thought the right thing to do would be to reappoint Moi Ali for another term as surely someone as capable of speaking in a parliamentary committee venue as she is is obviously an asset in this effort to clear up your very messy judiciary.

So much for this Scottish Government of yours.Have they released any more terrorists lately?

Anonymous said...

Miss Ali has complained the post is mere “window dressing” and “tokenism”. I agree completely MacAskill's idea of justice is simply protecting lawyers and judges. MSP's [as far as rights against the lawyers are concerned] are against all Scots many of the latter just don't realize it.

Everything these lawyer and MSP crooks do are aimed at protecting the minority the lawyers and judges not the public. It is a disgrace.

Anonymous said...

What a damning indictment this is of the failure of the Scottish Legal and Political establishments to allow the Scottish Public a transparent and accountable justice system.

Yet another good reason NOT to vote SNP (or indeed any of the other 'major' parties).

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

One would have thought the right thing to do would be to reappoint Moi Ali for another term as surely someone as capable of speaking in a parliamentary committee venue as she is is obviously an asset in this effort to clear up your very messy judiciary.

So much for this Scottish Government of yours.Have they released any more terrorists lately?

27 January 2014 03:37

Not as far as I know but they did hand over a terrorist suspect to Spain in a secret bid to stop the Spanish vetoing the SNP Police state Scotland's independent entry into the EU.

The guy lived in Edinburgh for ten years and only when one of the advisers realised the Spanish were a problem the chap became an issue.

Dont take my word for it though - read it in the news for yourself http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/9399869/Terrorist-suspect-arrested-in-Edinburgh-police-raid.html

Anonymous said...

I decided awhile back the justice thing on its own kills the idea of independence.This latest story only serves to prove me correct.

Anonymous said...

I feel heart sorry for Moi Ali.

Moi Ai is an absolute Gem and showed the true spirit, steadfastness, moral fibre, integrity and was a shining example of how all Public Servants in Scotland should conduct themselves, and in such a selfless, respectful and humble manner too?

A true Scot if ever there was one?

It is a shameful scandal that Moi Ai has effectively been bullied out of her job and this highlights the unsuitability of the people who are in positions of power to allow an injustice such as this to happen?

Yet they claim they act in the Interest of The People of Scotland and In The Public Interest?

All they are managing to do is make Scotland a laughing stock?

Never mind a Banana Republic?

Scotland is doing the whole fruit bowl?

Anonymous said...

Wow!

There goes another 100,000 potential voters?

If MacAskill keeps on going at this rate he will be keeping Hearts for company?

Robert Green said...

At least the Justice Secretary has had the honesty to make it clear that he does not want someone of genuine integrity like Moi Ali in a key position to defend the public interest.

Anonymous said...

Robert Green said...
At least the Justice Secretary has had the honesty to make it clear that he does not want someone of genuine integrity like Moi Ali in a key position to defend the public interest.

29 January 2014 18:20
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

In the split-dimension-World that we have in Scotland the belief seems to be that the creeps have inherited the Earth...?

Anonymous said...

You would have expected any properly thinking person to welcome Moi Ali into her role with enthusiasm and gratefulness, such is her proven high standards and dedication to do the right thing for the Scottish Public?

Anonymous said...

The emasculated two will be able to empathise with Moi Ali now, that Lord Gill is impossible to deal with because there is no sense of perspective and Public Duty, it's either his way or the highway?