Last week we brought you an interview with soon-to-be-retired Chief Magistrate Sharon Fraser, about what she calls a thwarted succession plan that had been in the making for over 10 years. She was grooming Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford to replace her, but her legitimate expectation of assuming the post has been thwarted. The judicial and Legal Services Commission has taken a decision to bring in a foreign Chief Magistrate to take over the magistracy after Frazer - a development which many in the legal community lament.
And among those voicing their concern and disappointment is former Attorney General Mike Peyrefitte.
When asked out about it today he told the press that this kind of thing would never happen in a Caribbean country like Jamaica.
Mike Peyrefitte, Chairman, UDP
"Well, I totally agree. Well, I am on record saying that without apology, without any disrespect to our regional sisters and brothers or anyone from the Commonwealth, or wherever they may come from. It would be a cold day in hell before, for example, if the Chief Justice of Jamaica is a foreigner, or the Chief Magistrate is a foreigner, that is never going to happen. So, I as a Belizean would like to see, that if a Belizeans who I have no doubt able. If they are willing to take up a particular post in the public service, whichever part of the public service."
"It is my belief that the Belizeans should always be given the benefit of the doubt, and be given a chance to do that. I understand sometimes that, and I experienced this when you would have an opening for a judgeship whether in the high court or in the court o appeal and you would go to Belizean lawyers, senior lawyers and say could you please serve for a year, they were like no, no, no and if everybody who you believe is qualified says no then fine, go to the commonwealth or the CARICOM region to see if you can get anybody to fill it, but if there are people who are able and willing to do that job, I would like to see it go to a Belizean, that's my position."
"I was of the belief that once Ms Fraser was to retire that there would be nobody more qualified to take up that position than Ms Ford, than Magistrate Ford. So, it blows my mind to say that somebody who is coming all the way from Sri Lanka I think, could be more qualified than Magistrate, Senior Magistrate Ford who has not only been a lawyer for all these years but has been working the exact system and nobody can know that system better than her once Miss Fraser leaves. So that, that, this is another thing I can't answer for you, I don't know, I can't explain that one."
Chief Magistrate Fraser is slated to leave the post in a few weeks. She has held the post since 2017.
