Paula Llewellyn, the Director of Public Prosecutions, was not allowed to serve a second term in office, according to the constitutional court’s ruling.
At the Supreme Court in Kingston’s downtown, the decision was announced on the morning of April 19, 2024. In a contentious constitutional amendment last year, the government raised the retirement age of the DPP from 60 to 65.
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The extension, which came after a prior three-year extension in 2020 when Llewellyn reached sixty, was contested in court by the opposition People’s National Party (PNP).
Members of Parliament Phillip Paulwell and Peter Bunting filed a complaint in the Supreme Court, requesting a ruling that Llewellyn should not have been permitted to hold office after the 2020 extension concluded in September 2023.
The DPP must resign from office immediately as a result of the verdict. The claimants’ attorney, King’s Counsel Michael Hylton, expressed satisfaction with the decision.
“The case is not about Ms. Llewellyn, it’s not about how she did her duties, it’s not even really about the extension. The case is about the rule of law, about establishing a principle that the same laws apply to everybody and that the constitution needs to be respected,” Hylton informed reporters.
Meanwhile, Paulwell stated that if the opposition had been appreciated by the government, “we wouldn’t have this unfortunate situation where a public servant is being embarrassed.”
“This matter could have been dealt with by a conversation between the prime minister and the leader of the Opposition which is what the constitution requires,” he stated. “I believe the judgment was a good one.”
