Bahamian lawyers who were criticized for serious misconduct by a senior Supreme Court judge were never disciplined by the Bahamas Bar Association.
The Bar Association refuses to deal with corrupt lawyers.
In 2006, Burton Hall appointed Derrence Rolle to a magistrates position, possibly with full knowledge of Mr Rolle’s breach of conduct.
Hall has since moved on to legal bodies elsewhere.
Legal observers were shocked at the appointment given the fact that Rolle had been involved in a number of legal scandals including a serious breach of conduct in 2003.
Back then, Senior Justice Lyons ruled that title to land owned by Arawak Homes had been fraudulently obtained by John Sands, with the help of his attorney Leon Smith of Smith, Smith and Co. The land was then illegally sold to unsuspecting Bahamians who have since been evicted from their properties.
Mr Rolle represented John Sands as the first defendant against Arawak Homes in the case, while another lawyer, James Thompson, represented second defendant, Mr Smith, from Smith and Co.
In his ruling, Justice Lyons noted the misconduct of both defence attorneys who repeatedly tried to disrupt the proceedings using a variety of unscrupulous legal tactics.
Justice Lyons sent copies of his judgment and trial transcripts to the Bar Association recommending disciplinary action. He also forwarded copies to the Attorney General for contempt action and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for investigation concerning any breach of the Penal Code.
Nothing was ever done by any of the authorities who were informed of the misconduct.
Mr Rolle has also been accused of having an affair with a woman whose divorce proceedings were in front of his court.
