Prime Minister Gaston Browne says he will not apologise for his controversial comments about the judiciary, insisting that his criticism was intended to force action on what he considers excessively lenient sentences.

Speaking during the Browne and Browne Show, Browne rejected calls for him to withdraw his remarks.

“Come with your foolishness about apology and so on; it will not be forthcoming,” Browne said.

The prime minister said his criticism was not directed at a specific judgment or intended to influence an individual case. He maintained that he was addressing broader concerns about sentencing practices, repeat offenders and the dismissal of criminal cases.

“If you all felt as though that I rattled you all because of what I said, I make no apologies about it,” Browne said. “It is what I meant to do.”

Browne also challenged those demanding an apology to identify the judicial officer he allegedly disrespected.

“They asked me to apologise,” he said. “Well, those who want me to apologise … firstly, identify the member of the judiciary who I disrespected.”

Browne said persistent complaints from law-enforcement officials about lenient sentences and repeat offenders prompted his intervention.

He maintained that judicial independence does not place the courts beyond public criticism and called for dialogue among the judiciary, executive and Parliament on criminal justice reform.

The prime minister said he has written to the chief justice proposing an expert panel to examine sentencing and other weaknesses within the criminal justice system.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: VIDEO: PM Says he makes NO APOLOGY for his criticism of the judiciary.