Tahna Weston
The appointment of a new chief magistrate is still pending as Attorney General Sir Steadroy Benjamin said that consideration is being given to filling the vacancy.
The post became vacant after the former Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh left office following a disciplinary trial for a number of allegations, and for which she was found guilty.
The Traffic Court Magistrate Dexter Wason has been acting in the position since last year.
Speaking to Observer media, Benjamin said that not only is the government seeking to fill the position of chief magistrate, but also that of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
He also disclosed that a number of people have applied to fill both positions and that this administration is carefully going through and considering each application in order to select the best fit for the position (of chief magistrate).
“We have several persons we are looking at at the moment, and we are making sure that the person selected will properly fill the role and perform the task, which they will be employed to perform.
“These appointments [chief magistrate and DPP] will not be made willy nilly, but will be made after due diligence, proper scrutiny and proper decision-making has taken place. So as soon as we are ready we will let the public know. We do not want any problems in terms of not getting an efficient person…we want to make certain that the choice is in fact the correct one,” Benjamin said.
Questions as to how many applications that the government has, to date, received from interested persons whether for the position of chief magistrate or the DPP, Benjamin was tight-lipped, saying, “I am not at liberty to disclose the situation.”
He was willing to say only that there were various applications at this time which are all being considered.
According to the attorney general, applications have been received from both local and foreign interests.
