We have been asked by the Bermuda Judiciary, through a letter received from attorneys Trott & Duncan, to publish on their behalf the following response to the January 8 story in this newspaper, headlined “Court of Appeal president named in criminal complaint about court recordings”.

We are more than happy to do so.

“The headlines ‘Court of Appeal president named in criminal complaint about court recordings’ on page 1 and ‘Zacca named in criminal complaint about court recordings’ on page 2 of Wednesday’s Royal Gazette, dated 8th January 2014, convey the misleading impression that criminal proceedings have been commenced against Bermuda’s most senior judicial officer. No such proceedings have been commenced. It is most seriously alleged that the judicial officers named in the article have criminally either failed to make court recordings or destroyed recordings that were made. There is no statutory legal requirement for electronic records of court hearings to be made and retained under Bermuda law. No recordings were made during the period in question and none were destroyed. The allegations are defamatory, frivolous, vexatious and entirely without foundation.”