Over for the past five years Maurice Glinton and Leandra Esfakis have been engaged in a legal battle to uphold the rights embodied in the Bahamas Constitution.
Recognizing that vital freedoms have been undermined by the Financial Bills of 2000, Glinton and Esfakis are waging a battle in the courts for all of us. There is no financial reward, only costs as their gain is no more than that of the rest of the country, which is Constitutional protection of property and the right to privacy.
The defense of property rights has a long history. A precedent setting case presided over by Chief Justice Lord Camden in 1765 (Entick vs Carrington) ruled the Secretary of State had no right under statute or precedent to issue a warrant to search the home of Entick to obtain evidence of sedition. His judgment included the following:
"The great end for which men entered into society was to preserve their property. That right is preserved sacred and incommunicable in all instances where it has not been taken away or abridged by some public law for the good of the whole".
Constitutional Rights are no longer secure for Bahamians until the courts rule on the issues described in the attached. The importance of the restoration of rights by legal means cannot be overstated. Recent precedent set by courts in other Commonwealth countries suggests they will be restored, when tested in Bahamian courts and at the Privy Council level.
Neither plaintiff has solicited our help. We volunteer because the issue is profoundly important for the economic and political health of the Bahamas. Freedom depends on our participation in the democratic process, and I know of no better way than to support the effort to restore our Constitutional Rights.
The Nassau Institute has determined to help collect money for the June 26th hearing in London, the legal costs of which are $170,000. Thanks for defending democracy and freedom by sending your donation to The Nassau Institute for the Defense of Property Fund.
Click this link for a summary of the legal challenges.
Sincerely
THE NASSAU INSTITUTE
Joan Thompson
President & Director
