By Elesha George
After serving as a High Court Judge in Antigua and Barbuda for just over two years, Justice Colin Williams has been appointed to the Commonwealth of Dominica to serve as the head of the country’s criminal division.
The re-appointment comes as a response to the urgent need for a Criminal Judge in Dominica, which has been without one since the retirement of Justice Richard Floyd in April 2023, due to health reasons.
High Court Registrar, Cecile Hill said the tenure of each regional appointed judge varies and in this case Williams’ re-appointment is meant to meet the needs of Dominica which is without a permanent Criminal Judge.
Justice Floyd served as Head of Dominica’s Criminal Division in the High Court for eight months from September 2022 to April 2023 before retiring due to a medical condition that required him to seek care overseas. Justice Wynante Adrien-Roberts who last served in St Lucia replaced him temporarily.
The Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC) made the official appointment of Justice Williams as High Court Judge in Antigua and Barbuda, on March 1, 2021. However, his new assignment as a Criminal Judge in Dominica will take effect on September 1, 2023, following the directives issued by Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Her Ladyship the Hon Dame Janice Pereira, on July 21, 2023.
During his tenure in Antigua and Barbuda, Justice Williams, a former director of public prosecutions in St Vincent and the Grenadines has adjudicated over a number of high-profile cases to include the Mikhail Gomes trial, the Bruce Greenaway matter, the Linsome Boyd murder case, former ABLP minister Michael Browne’s serious crime case, and the just concluded murder case of Kenworth Charles.
He was also the judge in charge of hearing the corruption scandal case involving former UPP ministers Harold Lovell, Wilmoth Daniel, and Dr Jacqui Quinn.
The High Court Registrar told Observer that she doesn’t know yet if or when another judge will be appointed to Antigua and Barbuda. That decision will me made JLSC who will then inform the court of the appointment.