Justice Christopher Blackman, a Barbadian who was appointed to the Court of Appeal in March 2008, is named as the first respondent in the action filed in the name of the trustees of the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) and The Bahamas Communications and Public Managers Union (BCPMU). The Registrar of The Court of Appeal is listed as the second respondent in the writ filed this week.
In a copy of a notice of originating motion obtained by The Tribune the unions contend that Justice Blackman, 62, had failed to disclose the fact that Cable and Wireless Communications was a corporate client of Carrington and Sealey – a firm of solicitors in Barbados – of which he was a senior partner. In the writ they seek 10 declarations, among them: a declaration that the tribunal that heard their appeal was not an impartial one and that the tribunal’s decision on their appeal be declared a nullity.
