Darren Bahaw and Jada Loutoo
News of the appointment of former People's National Movement (PNM) attorney general John Jeremie, SC, who has been tipped to be sworn in as a member of the Court of Appeal has sent shockwaves among supreme court judges and senior members of the legal fraternity.
Jeremie, who served as attorney general in two PNM administrations between 2003-2007 and again in 2009-2010, has been the subject of criticism over his role in the criminal prosecution of former prime minister Basdeo Panday, former chief justice Satnarine Sharma, prominent vascular surgeon Prof Vijay Naraynsingh and the criminal investigation of former executive chairman of CL Financial Lawrence Duprey.
Judiciary sources said Jeremie was among 12 people who were interviewed by the Judicial and Legal Service Commission (JLSC) in March and was among the two final selections.
The members of the JLSC are Chief Justice Ivor Archie, the chairman, Winston Rudder, chairman of the Public Service Commission, attorney Elton Prescott, SC, Justice of Appeal Charmaine Pemberton and Dr Albert Persaud.
The last phase of the process before his appointment is a security vetting by the Special Branch of the police service which is at an advanced stage, Newsday confirmed.
Newsday contacted several senior members of the legal fraternity for comment but none were willing to respond on the record. Jeremie was contacted via WhatsApp on May 10 but offered no comment.
A source close to Jeremie said the former attorney general had not received any official communication from the Judiciary to confirm his impending appointment but noted Jeremie had not been in active politics for the past 15 years.
In the past, former chief justice Michael de la Bastide had appointed former National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) acting attorney general Amrika Tiwary-Reddy as a high court judge in 1999. She had been in active politics between in the early 1980s to 1991. Archie appointed Gillian Lucky, a former Congress of the People politician, who was a minister in the office of the attorney general in the People's Partnership administration, to the bench in 2014. Closer to TT, Sir David Simmons of Barbados was appointed chief justice in 2001 after reitring from active politics that same year. He had served as attorney general in that country on two ocassion between 1985-1986 and 1994-2001.
One senior judge said, on the condition of anonymity, “If accurate, it will be clear that there is an intent to turn the judiciary into a party group.”
Another said, “it is interesting times," while a third judge said, such an appointment is "bound to cause bacchanal." Other senior lawyers preferred to comment only after the appointment is made.
Retired appeal court judge Stanley John, who had been close to former chief justice Sharma during his criminal investigation, said, "I have no comment," in response to a WhatsApp query seeking comment.
Since demitting political office, Jeremie has been employed as a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the Univer
