By Sue-Ann Wayow

THREE former attorneys general have wished newly-appointed Attorney General John Jeremie, SC, well but are also anticipating his next moves.

Former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, SC, Anand Ramlogan, SC and Faris Al-Rawi shared their thoughts with AZP News on Friday on the appointment of Jeremie  to the prestigious position in a government headed by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, SC.

Maharaj said the choice was a political one.

Jeremie, a former AG under the People’s National Movement (PNM) government was sworn in as Attorney General on Thursday evening along with Persad-Bissessar.

Maharaj said, “When a Prime Minister chooses an attorney general, the Prime Minister makes a political choice and that is, if she chooses a good attorney general, her government will become stronger. If she chooses a bad attorney general, her government will become weaker.”

“An attorney general has an important role to play in the fight against crime, law and order, laws of the country and the rights of the people,” he added.

Maharaj did not state whether Jeremie in his previous capacity as AG was “good or bad” but admitted that he (Jeremie) faced criticism from Maharaj who was on the opposing side at the time.

Jeremie served as Attorney General in the eighth and ninth Parliament.

“All I can say is he was attorney general before and he has the qualifications to be an attorney general. Whether Mr Jeremie performs good as an attorney general or bad, the government will have to depend upon the choice of an attorney general as far as law and order is concerned,” he said.

Maharaj gave a description of a good attorney general.

“A good attorney general would be able to assist in the fight against crime because he would provide the necessary advice to the government. He or she would be very important with respect to law reform in the country and the administration of justice and as to whether there are changes to be made within the legal profession or within the judiciary,” he told AZP News.

When asked what aspects he would like to see dealt with from the AG’s angle, Maharaj responded, “There are many aspects. Crime is a major problem and I think that the whole country wants some action on the crime and I think that things have to be done in order to arrest the crime problem in Trinidad and Tobago.”

He said the attorney general working in tandem with the Ministry of National Security should be able to bring the crime rate down.

“I had experience like that when I were Attorney General and working with the Minister of National Security, we were able to get the crime under control when the UNC administration took office in 1995,” Maharaj said.

Maharaj served as attorney general under the Basdeo Panday administration from 1996 to 2001.

Jeremie’s appointment was both necessary and timely said Ramlogan.

He said, “Over the last decade, he (Jeremie) has built a solid reputation as a lawyer whose intellectual ability and unassuming manner made him a formidable opponent in court. Those who underestimated him did so at their own peril.”

Ramlogan also said Jeremie was a legal scholar whose diverse portfolio of public service makes him eminently qualified to serve.

With the benefit of hindsight, his political and life experiences give him a unique insight that he can use to strengthen transparency, accountability and good governance, Ramlogan said.

He added that Jeremie’s knowledge about constitutional law and his experience as a diplomat when he served as High Commissioner to the UK stands on an impressive academic career as a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Law, UWI.

Ramlogan shared  that Jeremie was his first  law lecturer when he pursued his LLB degree at UWI.

He said, “He was dedicated and competent tutor who fast became my mentor. He was always willing to assist and go the extra mile for his students and encouraged me to aim for a scholarship to pursue my postgraduate studies in London. Both teacher and his student have therefore held the office of AG.”

Ramlogan served as AG under Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar as she served her first term in office from 2010-2015 and was the country’s youngest attorney general at age 37.

Ramlogan said, “We are in crisis mode and Jeremie has the knowledge, experience and vision to reform and lead the much-needed transformation of the legal system so that justice can be served. Public confidence in the administration of justice has been shaken.

“He must accelerate the changes that are in the process of being implemented in the criminal justice system so that we can take full advantage of the technological developments in the legal field. His leadership is both necessary and timely.”

He said, “I add my voice to those wishing him success, even as we all set our shoulders to the wheel in a collective rescue mission—determined to pull our country back from the cliff’s edge on which the rule of law now teeters.”

Al-Rawi said Jeremie has a generous amount of work to continue from the previous administration.

He said, “I wish Mr Jeremie, the very best in his office. He is an experienced man having served for a number of years as attorney general.

“I welcome him back to the political arena. It has been many, many years, since he has been here and I think that time will tell, the approach that he will take.”

Al-Rawi said Jeremie will inherit a very large amount of work that he himself left.

Jeremie would have to deal with materials relating to the categorisation of murder, controlled operations legislation, Financial Action Task Force (FATF) legislation and campaign finance laws to name a few.

Al-Rawi also said he  drafted very significant amendments to the Sexual Offences Act and prepared amendment for the Domestic Violence legislation, “all of which run to the benefit of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.”

“I am sure that he would be greeted with a generous amount of work. I don’t think he would be wanting for work because there is a massive amount of work in the pipeline so from that perspective, I look forward to seeing the continuity of the work of the Office of the Attorney General come to the Parliament,” Al-Rawi told AZP News.

Al-Rawi served as AG from 2015 to 2022 before he was appointed as Minister of Rural Development and Local Government in 2022.

Jeremie, a former AG under the PNM administration turned heads when he showed up at a United National Congress (UNC) campaign meeting in Penal and gained even more backlash from the PNM when he openly endorsed then Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

He admitted at that platform, “I have fought bitter battles in the Parliament against many who are seated here tonight.  I understand that it is frowned upon to change sides in our culture.  I am fully aware of how I can be harmed for where I stand tonight, and I  gain nothing.”

Jeremie also had encouraged supporters to vote for change and the UNC.

He was also a speaker at the UNC’s final campaign rally in Aranguez on April 26.