The Nassau Guardian
Lawyer could face further action over contempt
Attorney Geoffrey Farquharson, who was held in contempt for disrespectful remarks made during the Kofhe Goodman murder trial, could face further sanction for his actions from the Bahamas Bar Association.
Bar President Elsworth Johnson said the body has an obligation to protect the court from attacks “from within and without”.
Johnson said he will forward transcripts of the proceedings to the Ethics Committee, which in turn could recommend further action by the Disciplinary Committee.
If found guilty of misconduct, Farquharson could be reprimanded, fined or disbarred, Johnson said.
Farquharson was found guilty of contempt of court on May 22 for his conduct during the trial, which ended on October 29, 2013, when Goodman was sentenced to death for the September 2011 murder of Marco Archer, 11.
Justice Bernard Turner cited Farquharson for contempt in relation to remarks he made on May 15, 2013 and July 18, 2013 that impugned the integrity of the court.
In sentencing on Wednesday, Turner said he was compelled to punish Farquharson to spare another judge from the same behavior.
He said Farquharson was unrepentant in his behavior by maintaining that he acted properly.
On May 15, Farquharson said, “We are concerned that the apparent bias of the court may be tantamount to participation of the court wittingly or unwittingly to this perversion of justice.
“We say that what the prosecution has done is to fix this man up with a case, and that the court, by its actions, may well be viewed by a disinterested observer to be enabling that effort by the prosecution.
“If that is the case, my Lord, that would mean that there was a suggestion that the court itself may be guilty of a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.”
In July, Farquharson accused the court of “blatantly and flagrantly disregarding the law and making up the law on which it purports to act”.
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