Herbert Volney
{{Short description|Trinidad and Tobago politician (1953–2022)}}
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Herbert Volney (8 June 1953 – 7 December 2022) was a politician from Trinidad and Tobago, who was a member of the United National Congress (UNC) party.{{Cite web|url=https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/97806/degannes_1.pdf?sequence=1|title=Environment, Development, and Citizenship: Narrative Processes as Environmental Revolution and Political Change in Post-colonial Trinidad & Tobago|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=}} He served as Minister of Justice and Member of Parliament for St. Joseph/Maracas, Trinidad and Tobago.
Career
After graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor of Law degree, Volney was admitted to the Hugh Wooding Law School and was called to the Bar of Trinidad and Tobago as a barrister in 1978. In 1979, he was recruited by then Attorney General Selwyn Richardson to work in the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions where he served for ten years. He retired as Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions. In 1994 he was recruited by Chief Justice Clinton Bernard and appointed a judge of the Supreme Court. By the time of his retirement to stand for the constituency of St Joseph in the 2010 Trinidad and Tobago general election, he had presided over 400 trials at the higher level and had worked extensively in the Port of Spain, San Fernando and Scarborough sittings of the Criminal Assizes. Volney was the Head boy of his alma mater St Mary's Academy and President of the Guild of Undergraduates at Cave Hill Campus of the University of West Indies.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ttparliament.org/members.php?mid=26&pid=25&id=HEV10|title = Trinidad and Tobago Parliament}}
Between 1994 and 2010,{{cite web |url=http://www.ttparliament.org/members.php?mid=54&id=HEV10|title=Current Members: Mr. Herbert Volney, MP|author= |date= |website= Trinidad and Tobago Parliament|publisher= |accessdate=11 August 2013}} Volney was a judge of the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago.{{cite book|last=Ramdhan|first=Stacy|title=In Trinidad the Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hNZJdNJ2UhsC&pg=PA12|accessdate=25 July 2013|year=2011|publisher=GRIN Verlag|isbn=9783640969470|page=12}}{{cite book|last=Figueira|first=Daurius|title=Cocaine And Heroin Trafficking In The Caribbean: The Case Of Trinidad And Tobago, Jamaica And Guyana|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mYKfc-tqhwEC&pg=PA129|accessdate=25 July 2013|year=2004|publisher=iUniverse|isbn=9780595336326|page=129}} Volney was a member of parliament, and he became Justice Minister in Kamla Persad-Bissessar's cabinet.
While Justice Minister, Volney met Venezuelan Ambassador Maria Eugenia Marcano Casado to begin discussions about potential cooperation on penal reform, offender management and other criminal justice issues.{{cite web|url=http://caribjournal.com/2012/02/01/venezuela-trinidad-and-tobago-hold-talks-on-criminal-justice-reform/#|title=Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago Hold Talks on Criminal Justice Reform|date=1 February 2012|work=Caribbean Journal}} He also met Sir Edward Garnier who retired from politics in the 2017 General Election in the United Kingdom.{{Cite web|url=http://www.newsday.co.tt/crime_and_court/0,162331.html|title=Trial by judge|date=26 June 2012}} As Justice Minister he was somewhat controversial, making headlines through unfortunate comments{{cite news |last=Ryan |first=Selwyn |author-link=Selwyn Ryan |date=7 October 2012 |title=The crucifixion of Herbert Volney |work=Trinidad Express Newspapers |url=http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/The_crucifixion_of_Herbert_Volney-172998951.html |accessdate=25 July 2013}} and by proposing that prisoners be allowed conjugal visits at a time when supposed rising crime rates prompted the citizenry to punish prisoners more severely.{{cite news|url=http://www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog/?p=6065#more-6065|title=Joker wild in cabinet|last=Shah|first=Rafflique|date=21 January 2012|work=Trinidad and Tobago News|accessdate=24 July 2013}}{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trinidad-justice-minister-idUSBRE88K05G20120921|title=Trinidad justice minister fired over controversial law|author=Linda Hutchinson-Jafar|date=21 September 2012|work=Reuters}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/35006137/?q=Trinidad|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304125254/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/35006137/?q=Trinidad|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 4, 2016|title=Trinidad - Latest news, videos, and information- NBCNews.com|website=NBC News |publisher=}} He was dismissed in September 2012,{{cite news|url=http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/BREAKING-NEWS---Volney-fired-170599076.html|last=Charan|first=Richard|title=Breaking News: Volney Fired|newspaper=Trinidad Express Newspapers |date=20 September 2012|accessdate=24 July 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Executive/Trinidad/cabinet.html|title=Trinidad and Tobago: Cabinet / Gabinete|publisher=}}{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trinidad-justice-minister-idUSBRE88K05G20120921|title=Trinidad justice minister fired over controversial law|author=Linda Hutchinson-Jafar|date=21 September 2012|work=Reuters}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/35006137/?q=Trinidad|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304125254/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/35006137/?q=Trinidad|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 4, 2016|title=Trinidad - Latest news, videos, and information- NBCNews.com|website=NBC News |publisher=}} being one of eleven ministers who were fired by the former government, including his successor at the Ministry of Justice Christlyn Moore, before the leading party lost the September 2015 General Elections.{{cite web|url=http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Record-11-ministers-fired-from-Trinidad-s-government|title=Record 11 ministers fired from Trinidad's government - News|work=Jamaica Observer}} He was criticized at the time by Persad-Bissessar for having allegedly misled the Cabinet over the early proclamation of Section 34 of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Offences) Act; however, British Queen's Counsel Edward Fitzgerald argued during a hearing in the High Court in January 2013 that Volney did not mislead his Cabinet colleagues.{{cite news|last1=Achong|first1=Derek|title=Lawyer: Volney didn't mislead on Section 34|url=http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2013-01-28/lawyer-volney-didn%E2%80%99t-mislead-section-34|work=Trinidad Guardian|publisher=Guardian Media Limited|date=January 29, 2013}} He appeared with Persad-Bissessar at a public UNC event in May 2013.{{cite news|url=http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Volney-back-on-UNC-platform-207462531.html|title=Volney back on UNC platform|last=Ramdass|first=Anna|date=14 May 2013|work=Trinidad Express Newspapers|accessdate=25 July 2013}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2010/06/printable/100621_mondaypmlatebriefs.shtml|title=BBCCaribbean.com - BBC Caribbean News in Brief|publisher=}}
Death
Volney died on 7 December 2022, at the age of 69.{{cite web |title=Herbert Volney has died |url=https://tt.loopnews.com/content/herbert-volney-has-died |website=Loop Trinidad & Tobago |access-date=8 December 2022 |date=7 December 2022}}{{cite web |title=Monsterrat to T&T: A look at former parliamentarian Herbert Volney| URL=https://tt.loopnews.com/content/monsterrat-tt-look-former-parliamentarian-herbert-volney |website=Loop Trinidad & Tobago |access-date=8 December 2022 |date=7 December 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Kissoon |first1=Carolyn |title=Herbert Volney has died |url=https://trinidadexpress.com/newsextra/herbert-volney-has-died/article_53618fc8-762e-11ed-9480-1b1ea2a12c94.html |access-date=7 December 2022 |work=Trinidad Express |date=7 December 2022}}
References
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External links
- [http://www.ttparliament.org/members.php?mid=54&id=HEV10 Herbert Volney], House of Representatives page
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Category:20th-century Trinidad and Tobago judges
Category:21st-century Trinidad and Tobago judges
Category:Government ministers of Trinidad and Tobago
Category:Members of the House of Representatives (Trinidad and Tobago)