Judicial Service Commission to be appointed soon – Governance Minister

Today the Committee of Supplies of the National Assembly considered funding for the JSC and when asked by Opposition Member of Parliament, Khemraj Ramjattan how soon the Commission is likely to be reconstituted, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, threw blame at the Opposition for the delay in the appointment of the Commission.

Judicial Service Commission to be appointed soon – Governance Minister

More than two years after the PPP/C took Office, and following repeated assurances of its commitment in ensuring the reappointment of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), it was announced today that there are now some movement to reconstitute the important constitutional body.

The Judicial Service Commission is responsible for the appointment and promotion of Judges.

Today the Committee of Supplies of the National Assembly  considered funding for the JSC and when asked by Opposition Member of Parliament, Khemraj Ramjattan how soon the Commission is likely to be reconstituted, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, threw blame at the Opposition for the delay in the appointment of the Commission.

“In April 2022, the Leader of the Opposition was written to, suggesting the name of the President’s appointee and seeking his support and the Parliament had decided who its nominee was; and regrettably the response by the Leader of the Opposition to the correspondence has not been to address the issue of the President’s nominee—or support for the President’s nominees but instead has focused on the appointment of the Chancellor and the Chief Justice, so there are letters there hanging in the air,” Teixeira told the Committee of Supplies.

The JSC has not been reconstituted since 2017, when the life of the last Commission ended. Minister Teixeira has promised that progress will be realised soon.

“I believe that we shall see movement on this issue in the near future, but both gentlemen who have so far been appointment one by Parliament and one who has been around for a long time in the Judicial system are worthy of our support in the Judicial Service Commission,” Teixeira noted.

The Minister said the President will be sending a list of the nominees to the Leader of the Opposition for consideration soon.

A few weeks ago, the Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonnette Cummings said the Judiciary was facing a shortage of judges and it was time for the JSC to be appointed so that new judges could be appointed.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login