Forty minutes ago we squeezed in an interview with with Prime Minister Briceno while he was exiting the today's Cabinet Meeting - which was held in the City.
Since the case is basically an audit of the way he handled the process of appointing the current Comptroller of Customs, we asked him to comment on the outcome - and justify the process he used:
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I've been in cabinet all day from 9am and its 5:10pm right now. So I've not had a chance to take a close look at the entire judgement and neither has the attorney general, but what is important here is that the judge is saying that they will give judicial review, but refuse the injunction. To us that is important that they did not give the injunction and that Miss Leslie remains as the comptroller of custom at this time. I will now consult with the AG and her lawyers and Andrew Marshalleck for advice. They are going to advise us as to what's the next step to take. Obviously, we respect the judgements of a court and so they want judicial review, so we are going to prepare for judicial review. But what I do find the mother of all ironies is that the very same man that refuse to appoint Ian Haylock as comptroller is now fighting for Ian Haylock to be comptroller. I think that's hypocrisy on his attorney."
Reporter
"We understand. I intend to ask him if he gives me the opportunity about that particular issue, but still the question is do you feel that you've conducted adequate consultations with the public service commission, sir?"
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I do feel I did. Again, I am not an attorney and so when we were looking to the process of appointing a new comptroller and then time was upon us. Remember we got into government the 12th November, the following week we had the floods, after that I had 2 weeks with Covid - so that by the time I got really into work into office it was already in December and then the comptroller at that time I think his contract came up to an end around 29th December, so we just did not have enough time and it was important for us to have a comptroller. We could not leave the country without a comptroller and so this is the advice that was told - that I should write a letter to consult with the public service commission. It was not done out of malice, it was not done because we are trying to circumvent anything, but it is by the time we got that kind of advice it was the 24th December. we had a limited time, so we felt that it was in the interest country to be able to get this done as quickly as we possibly can and since the 29th was almost upon us we had to send the letter on the 24h December."
Of important note is that the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Charles Gibson has gone on record to the court - through a letter to the GG - and to our newsroom to say that he did not see that letter from the Prime Minister.
