Senior Reporter
andrea.perez-sobers@guardian.co.tt
There is confirmation from the President’s House that 13 attorneys will be elevated to the rank of Senior Counsel this afternoon.
An unconfirmed list which was circulated on Saturday indicated that 11 attorneys were to receive silk, including former National Alliance for Reconstruction minister Anthony Smart, Energy Minister Stuart Young and Rural Development and Local Government Minister Faris Al-Rawi.
Yesterday, Port-of-Spain South MP Keith Scotland confirmed that he is also on the list to receive silk. He said he got the call yesterday morning.
Guardian Media was not able to confirm the other recipients up to press time.
Contacted for comment, Scotland said it is a privilege and an honour to be given silk.
“This little boy from Union Four Roads, Diego Martin, is blessed and humbled by this appointment to the rank of Senior Counsel,” he said
WASA chairman Ravi Nanga confirmed he got his call to attend the ceremony at 2.30 pm. Nanga also said he was humbled to be given silk and would continue his work to the best of his ability.
However, Nizam Mohammed, who was on the list being circulated on Saturday, said while many people had reached out and congratulated him, he did not receive an official call from the President’s House.
“We have not seen an official list from the President’s House so I will wait like everyone else and see today,” he said.
Others tipped to receive silk today include Simon de La Bastide, Hasine Shaikh, Justin Phelps, Ravi Nanga, Prakash Deonarine, Elaine Greene and Lee Merry.
On Saturday, the head of the Criminal Bar Association Israel Khan, SC, expressed concern about Al-Rawi’s selection.
Khan said while Minister Young is deserving of silk due to his “reputation, merit, ability, and integrity,” he questioned Minister Al-Rawi’s silk.
“There is a problem hanging over the head of Al-Rawi in relation to the indemnity agreement with King’s Counsel Vincent Nelson that he entered into to prosecute former attorney general Anand Ramlogan, and the present AG had indicated publicly that he would reveal at the appropriate time the significance of that indemnity agreement, so that is hanging over his head,” he said
Khan said unless Al-Rawi is cleared of all wrongdoing, there will be a blot on the whole process of awarding silk.
“You have to have impeccable integrity to be granted silk, and if you entered into an agreement as AG which caused the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) to withdraw the cases against Anand Ramlogan, there is a blot on him. We just have to wait and see,” he said.
The official invitation from the President’s House for today’s ceremony states: “On the advice of the Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley, President Christine Carla Kangaloo will present instruments of appointment to thirteen attorneys to the rank of Senior Counsel on Monday, June 17, 2.30 pm at the President’s House.”
Last year, there was an uproar when 17 attorneys, including the brother and husband of President Kangaloo—Colin Kangaloo and Kerwyn Garcia—were conferred with silk.
President Kangaloo later clarified that she had no part in the procedure adopted for appointments and explained that it is the Attorney General who invites applications from members of the legal profession before consulting with the Chief Justice and other stakeholders.