PORT- OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

President George Maxwell Richards Wednesday suspended embattled Chief Justice Satnarine Sharma for the second time within a year, less than a month after the head of state appointed a tribunal to investigate whether the Chief Justice should be removed from office.

A brief statement from the Office of the President said thatSharma, who was first suspended in July 2006 and reinstated in March this year, had been suspended from office by a letter dated June 13.

The statement said that President Richards acted "upon the advice of the Honourable Prime Minister" and had suspended Sharma "from the performance of the functions of the Office of Chief justice of Trinidad and Tobago".

Established Tribunal

In May, the President established a Tribunal comprising Lord Mustill, Sir Vincent Flossiac and Denis Morrison to inquire into "the question of removing the Honourable Chief Justice from office for misbehaviour".

Official sources said that the tribunal would inform the President on whether the Chief Justice should be impeached, following a complaint that he attempted to interfere in the integrity trial of former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday.

In May last year, Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls reported to Attorney-General John Jeremie that Sharma had attempted to influence the outcome of the Panday trial.