Surinamese Bar Association wants clarity from Van Dijk-Silos

The Surinamese Bar Association on Wednesday announced that it would send a letter to Justice and Police Minister Jennifer van DijkSilos. The president of the Bar Association, Harish Monorath, told Times of Suriname that the minister must officially inform the association of the new locations where trials will be held. He pointed out on Wednesday that the Bar Association has not received any official word yet from the minister. That is why the Bar Association will send a letter to the minister. Monorath pointed out that the members of the Bar Association, their clients and their clients’ relatives are living in uncertainty. He explained that the defense attorneys have not been formally informed of the new locations where trials will be held and when the trials will take. The president of the Bar Association pointed out that he wondered if the clerks of the court had already ended their strike. He made it clear that the minister is obligated to inform him that trials will be held in the old court building located along the Henck Arronstraat and the building located along the Tamarindelaan. He distrinctly remembers that the buildings had not passed inspection at that time. “We want to know what kind of measures have been taken by the ministry because the judiciary and the Court of Justice are not in charge of the maintenance of these buildings.The minister should have informed us herself. We are not familiar with the state decree that the minister is talking about. When it comes to the location and time of trials there must be certainty in the constitutional state. There is practically no communication between the Surinamese Bar Association and the minister. I sincerely hope that things will change.”