A T&T Regiment officer, who sued the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) over a decision to remove her from a list of officers who received an efficiency medal, last year is set to receive it (the medal) when newly inaugurated President Christine Kangaloo hosts this year’s awards ceremony for members of the protective services.
On Tuesday, High Court Judge Devindra Rampersad approved a consent order between the T&T Defence Force (TTDF) and Major Ginelle Pran.
Under the agreement, Pran agreed to withdraw her case and the TTDF agreed to pay the $80,000 in legal costs she incurred in pursuing the lawsuit.
Pran, who has been a commissioned officer for almost 16 years, was initially placed on the list with hundreds of her colleagues to receive the Efficiency Medal during a “Medals Parade” hosted by former President Paula Mae Weekes on various dates in March, last year.
However, days before Pran was due to collect the award, she received a call from her commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Jason Hills, who informed her that she would be excluded from receiving the medal, which is awarded to military personnel who have served with distinction for over 12 years.
She claimed that she was advised that the decision to remove her was based on her facing disciplinary charges from her academic deployment in Jamaica, which were subsequently dismissed.
In response to the case, CDS Air Vice Marshal Darryl Daniel claimed that she was “inadvertently” included on the list.
While he claimed that Pran would have met the time period to qualify for the award and would have had exemplary conduct for most of her career, she could not receive the award based on the dismissed charges as her character could not be classed as “irreproachable.”
Justice Rampersad granted an injunction restoring Pran’s place on the list but later revoked it as he ruled that delaying the award would be less prejudicial than taking it away if she is unsuccessful in the case.
Pran was represented by Arden Williams, Shelly-Ann Daniel and Mariah Puckerin, while Monica Smith and Savi Ramhit represented the CDS.
