Sacked T&T Justice Minister was controversial figure

(Trinidad Express) Herbert Phillip Volney, 59, widely regarded as a loose cannon, entered the field of politics under a cloud of controversy in 2010.
He made many public statements considered to be outrageous while a minister.
On his view of the death penalty Volney told the Express:
“Persons should be hanged in Woodford Square, 6 or 7 a.m. in the morning. The people should see the hangings take place, they need to feel the fear of God and have fear for the law.”
Questioned on the whereabouts of the Security Intelligence Agency (SIA) files: “There was a group of men from Israel who were here and they were thrashing all the files so that what we came across were empty folders, that is what alerted the Prime Minister to bring the Commissioner of Police in to prevent it from continuing. So I think that most of it has been thrashed already. All the secrets of the last government have been thrashed.”
Days after resigning as a High Court judge, Volney was successfully screened as a United National Congress (UNC) candidate for the 2010 general election.
Volney was appointed as a judge in 1994 under Chief Justice Clinton Bernard.
On April 28, 2010 he officially resigned from the Judiciary to pursue politics.
Former prime minister Patrick Manning was among several persons who had criticised Volney for the sudden switch.
Volney’s maiden speech on a political platform was interrupted by dozens of protesters who demanded answers on his controversial ruling in the Brad Boyce case.
Boyce was charged with the manslaughter of Jason Johnson, who was killed outside a nightclub at Long Circular Road in St James in September 1996.
Boyce, who allegedly struck Johnson a blow to the head, was charged with murder at the preliminary enquiry stage but this was reduced to manslaughter and he was tried before Volney in July 1998.
In a move that the Privy Council later said was wrong in law, Volney directed the jury to discharge Boyce after he questioned the qualification of Dr Hughvon Des Vignes, the forensic pathologist in the case.
Despite the criticisms levelled against Volney, he was eventually elected Member of Parliament (MP) for St Joseph when the People’s Partnership coalition defeated the People’s National Movement (PNM) in the May 24, 2010 general election.
Volney defeated the PNM’s representative Kennedy Swaratsingh.
Swaratsingh had previously been the MP for St Joseph after successfully contesting the 2007 general election.
Volney was appointed Minister of Justice on May 28, 2010.
In June 2010, Volney successfully underwent a quadruple bypass surgery at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) in Mt Hope.
Last month Volney carried a note to Cabinet which sought the early proclamation of certain sections of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act.
Last night Volney lost his job as Justice Minister because of this.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday called for acting president Timothy Hamel-Smith to immediately revoke Volney’s appointment.