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Chief Justice Ivor Archie has lost his appeal challenging the Law Association's investigation into misconduct allegations against him.
Five Law Lords of the Privy Council this morning delivered a 15-page judgment, in which they rejected all the grounds raised by Archie.
The judgment was not delivered in open court at the United Kingdom's Supreme Court in London but was posted on the court's website at 10 am, this morning.
As is customary with Privy Council appeals, Archie's attorneys and those for the Law Association were informed of the outcome yesterday evening.
The decision now clears the way for the association to call a meeting of its membership to discuss its investigation into the allegations and the legal advice on whether the allegations are sufficient to refer to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to trigger impeachment proceedings under S137 of the Constitution.
Archie filed the lawsuit in March days before the association was due to hold an extraordinary meeting on the issue. High Court Judge Nadia Kangaloo initially ruled that the investigation fell outside of the association's statutory remit but her decision was subsequently reversed by three of Archie's colleagues in the Court of Appeal.
In the judgment, the Privy Council disagreed with Archie, that the association's probe mimicked the constitution process for investigating misconduct allegations against a judge.
The judges ruled that the association's investigation did not have any binding effect and could only result in a referral to the Prime Minister, who then has a discretion on how to treat with it.
The court also rejected Archie's claimed that the association was biased in its investigation. It pointed out that Kangaloo and the Court of Appeal both did not think so and said that they were best placed to make such a determination.
The controversy surrounding Archie arose late last year in a series of newspaper reports which accused Archie of attempting to persuade the judges to change their State-provided security in favour of a private company in which his friend and convicted fraudster Dillian Johnson worked.
Archie was also accused of attempting to fast-track Housing Development Corporation (HDC) applications for Johnson, who has been convicted of fraud.
Archie only responded to the allegations once, as he denied discussing judges' security but admitted to suggesting persons for HDC housing.
Archie was also represented by Phillip Havers, QC, John Jeremie, SC, Ian Benjamin, SC, and Kerwyn Garcia. The association was also represented by Christopher Hamel-Smith, SC, Jason Mootoo, Rishi Dass and Alvin Pariagsingh.