Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of unpaid parking tickets remain outstanding because of a failure on the part of prosecutors to bring offenders to court, has learned.

And it emerged that the Island?s ?worst offender? for parking ticket offences is a prosecutor with the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Sources told that Crown counsel Shad?e Subair is the most serious offender. But several of the Island?s other prosecutors and defence lawyers are also non-payers.

Meanwhile, senior court administrator Tracey Kelly said no one had been brought before the courts for outstanding parking fines since February, 2002.

He said that while the majority of people who are issued with parking tickets do pay, there are still around 20 percent who refuse to.

Mr. Kelly said: ?Normally if payment doesn?t come within seven days then a notice is sent out to the person requesting them to pay otherwise further action will be taken. That?s where we stop right now.

?The further action, which is the issuing of court summons, is not happening at this time.?

He declined to comment on who the worst offenders were or on how much money in parking fines is currently outstanding.

But it can be easily worked out. With more than 30,000 tickets issued each year, and based on a $50 parking fine, more than $600,000 worth of fines are outstanding from the beginning of 2002.

According to a Government source, Ms Subair is the ?worst offender on the Island? when it comes to unpaid fines, with fines totalling more than $16,000 since 2001.

The source said hundreds of tickets had been issued for the prosecutor since 2001, mainly for parking offences that occurred outside Global House on Church Street.

Asked to respond to the claims, Ms Subair said they were ?inaccurate? and added that she was shocked ?gossip? like this would be of interest to a newspaper.

?This is not a story. It is not news. It is gossip and should be taken as just that.

?You?ve got to be very careful printing something like that. It?s inaccurate and it?s dangerous.?

It is also understood that the last person to be brought before the courts for parking offences was Crown counsel Wayne Caines, who was charged on February 5, 2002 with not having paid parking fines totalling $2,080 dating back to October 2001.

Although the case was adjourned, it is understood that the case never again appeared before a Magistrate.

The source added that there were a ?large number of people? people, including prosecutors and defence lawyers, who currently owe parking fines ranging from the hundreds into the thousands of dollars.

Acting Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Kulandra Ratneser said he was unaware why no prosecutions had been brought recently and added he would look into the matter.

But he said he was aware of people in his office who had outstanding parking fines.

?But that is a matter between a person and the Police. I?m aware of people who haven?t paid their parking fines and if you don?t there are ways and means of getting the money. I?m aware that there are tickets outstanding among lawyers and crown counsels.?

He defended his officers, saying he did not think having outstanding bills brought a conflict of interest with regards to how they perform their duties in court.

?They are public private citizens and they are entitled to their defences.

These are not offences that involve any form of fraud or dishonesty. If I don?t pay my parking fines, then it doesn?t mean that I can?t be the DPP, does it?

?No, I don?t think that non-payment of fines undermines their ability to prosecute in court.?

Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves declined to comment.

Chief Insp. Anthony Mouchette said 33,213 parking tickets were issued by traffic wardens last year, which was slightly down from the number of around 36,000 the year before.

He said: ?The figure fluctuates from year to year. This year we had a walk out by traffic wardens and we also had Hurricane Fabian.?