And while there is a new registrar and a new judge – there is still no Solicitor General. It is one more blight on a judiciary already beset by gloom. Attorney General Wilfred Elrington told us they’ve been trying to find a new one but it seems no one wants the job.
Hon. Wilfred Sedi Elrington, Attorney General
“We have advertised for the post in all the Caribbean countries. I personally went to Guyana a month ago to try to get one. I wasn’t satisfied with the person who was available and I am hoping that if we don’t get any response to the advertisements we’ve sent out, I’ll travel to Jamaica and try to see if one of my old schoolmates would come and take the job.”
Keith Swift,
And how much is it costing us because we don’t have a Sol Gen, the outsourcing of lawyers?
Hon. Wilfred Sedi Elrington,
“I have no idea and that is a matter that is dealt with exclusively by the Ministry of Finance and the technical staff of the Attorney General’s Ministry. I really do not get involved in anything dealing with finances.”
Keith Swift,
But you suspect it is costing more to hire private attorneys?
Hon. Wilfred Sedi Elrington,
“Yes more than if we had a Solicitor General in place and remember we did have one but she went off. I was very saddened that she went off and we’ve been trying, we’ve been trying very hard to get another good one but it is difficult to find good attorneys who can do the job of solicitor general well.”
The Solicitor General Elrington referred to is Tanya Herwanger who resigned in June after a succession of government induced embarrassments.
