The Law Association of TT (LATT) has filed a criminal complaint against Opposition activist and radio talk-show host Junior Barrington "Skippy" Thomas. It is calling on the police to investigate what it says are bogus academic qualifications which Thomas submitted to be admitted to practise as a lawyer.
The complaint, dated August 19, a copy of which has been obtained by Sunday Newsday, was delivered to acting Commissioner of Police McDonald Jacob and sets out a series of events between April 13 and May 19, detailing LATT's attempts to verify a diploma Thomas submitted from a purported UK university.
On April 13, Thomas, 47, applied for a certificate of fitness from LATT, which is needed for admission to the roll of attorneys "duly qualified to practise law" in TT.
As part of that process, for people who obtain law degrees in the UK, LATT must get proof that the applicant has passed the legal practice course at an institution validated by the Law Society of England and Wales.
According to the complaint, Thomas submitted a postgraduate diploma in professional legal practice from Colston University dated June 16, 2016.
Questions were raised during the verification process and LATT sought a legal opinion on the matter.
Then, on May 13, LATT was notified by e-mail by an assistant registrar of the Supreme Court that Thomas was seeking to be admitted to practise law in TT via a petition to the High Court without a certificate of fitness, and the matter had been listed to be heard that same day before Justice Joseph Tam and Sharon Gibson.
LATT president Sophia Chote, SC, and Kavita Roop Boodoo, a legal officer of the association, attended that hearing and the matter was adjourned to allow the association to complete its investigation into Thomas's qualifications.
During the investigatory process to verify the authenticity of the diploma from Colston University, the association made enquiries of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in the UK, which provides a listing of all institutions authorised to provide legal practice certificates.
According to the complaint, "The LATT caused an examination of its own records to determine if any previous applicant had submitted a legal practicing certificate issued by Colston University but found none. Further enquiries were then made to the Department of Education in the United Kingdom, the Office of Students and a degree verification website service "Prospect Hedd" but the LATT was still unable to verify that Colston University was a duly registered institution or that it was authorised to issue the legal practice certificate."
According to the complaint, on May 19, the association contacted the president of the Law Society of England and Wales and received a response on May 27 from Richard Jones, the engagement manager (Wales) of the Law Society which supported its position.
LATT said the Colston University Twitter page @ColstonUniversity1 "appears on the face of it to be a made-up institution and photographs used on the Twitter page are stock photographs. Th
