By Prior Beharry
ATTORNEY General Reginald Armous says he spoke to the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT) regarding the appointments of senior counsel.
He said it was not a “consultation” but the LATT has insisted that it held “no discussions whatsoever” on applications to the rank of senior counsel with the AG.
This comes in the wake of 17 attorneys being conferred with “silk” by President Christine Kangaloo on Monday.
President of the Law Association Lynette Sebarran-Suite was also chosen, but due to her mother’s death, she could not attend the ceremony at President’s House.
LATT issued a release on Tuesday. It stated, “The LATT accordingly had no discussions whatsoever with the Honourable Attorney General on any applicant or the merits of any application for admission to the rank of Senior Counsel.”
Armour was called to the podium to gave an explanation at a press conference held by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley at the Diplomatic Centre on Tuesday.
The AG said, “I consulted with the Chief Justice before I made my recommendations to the Prime Minister.
“I also spoke to Mrs Seebaran-Suite as Law Association president whom to her credit recused herself because she was one of the names under consideration.
“She passed that baton to other senior members of the Law Association with whom I had discussions.”
Speaking about the interview he gave to the media at the awarding of “silk” ceremony on Monday, Armour said he deliberately used two different words in his statement.
He said, “The first word I used is that I consulted with the Law Association, and the second word that I used is that I spoke with the president of the Law Association, and after she recused herself I had a discussion with the nominee that she had appointed.”
Armour said he took advice on the matter from senior counsel. He noted that the practice since 1964 required him to consult with the chief justice on the names which he then recommended to the prime minister.
