Caption: Marvin Gonzales
In Brief
- The Rebuke: The Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT) has declined to take disciplinary action against Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzales for publicly burning a Court Order, though it condemned the act as ‘distasteful, unbecoming, and unnecessarily performative.’
- Due Process Concerns: Gonzales criticised LATT for failing to contact him for his side of the story after receiving a formal complaint from former LATT Council member Aaron Mahabir.
- Accusations of Bias: Gonzales dismissed the body’s statement as ‘selective and convenient outrage,’ arguing LATT should focus instead on public statements made by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
By Alicia Chamely
Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzales has condemned the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT) for failing to seek his response to a formal complaint filed by former LATT Council member Aaron Mahabir regarding Gonzales’ public destruction of a Court Order.
Gonzales has also dismissed LATT’s rebuke of the act, after the association labelled his actions “distasteful, unbecoming, and unnecessarily performative conduct on the part of an Attorney-at-Law.”
On Tuesday, LATT President Lynette Seebaran-Suite responded to Mahabir’s request for an investigation into whether the matter warranted further examination by LATT’s disciplinary or complaints mechanisms.
In her response, Seebaran-Suite stated that, after careful consideration, no disciplinary measures would be taken against Gonzales. However, she noted that the Council of the Law Association stood in condemnation of the act.
AZP News reached out to Gonzales regarding both the initial complaint and LATT’s subsequent statement.
Responding via WhatsApp, Gonzales expressed disappointment that LATT failed to seek his input upon receiving the complaint against him.
“I find it most disturbing that upon receiving such a complaint, the Law Association didn’t see fit to get my comments,” he stated.
“I was hoping that good sense would have prevailed and I would have been provided an opportunity to respond to this political complaint,” he added.
Gonzales further accused LATT of “selective and convenient outrage” regarding what constitutes acceptable behaviour from legal professionals in the public eye, taking aim at controversial statements made by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
“Additionally, I will not take political advice from the Law Association, especially given the fact that the Prime Minister, as a Senior Counsel, has disparaged and disgraced the profession in the worst way by her public utterances,” he stated.
“These are the issues that should preoccupy the Law Association and lawyers who suffer from selective and convenient outrage,” he concluded.
Background
On Thursday, 23 July 2026, Gonzales stood before an audience at the People’s National Movement (PNM) headquarters, Balisier House, and set fire to a Court Order.
The Court Order had been served on the PNM in connection with a court-sanctioned inquiry into the construction of the headquarters, stemming from an unexplained wealth investigation being conducted by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS).
Mahabir wrote to LATT on 31 July 2026, requesting that the Council consider three specific actions:
Issuing a public statement on whether publicly burning a Court Order is consistent with the standards, ethics, and obligations of an Attorney-at-Law in Trinidad and Tobago.
Clarifying for the public’s benefit the profession’s position on the sanctity of Court Orders, and the obligation of every attorney – regardless of the office they hold outside the profession – to uphold rather than undermine the authority of the Courts.
Considering whether the matter warranted further examination by the Association’s disciplinary or complaints mechanisms.
