Convicted murderer challenging DPP's job gets expedited Constitutional Court hearing

Acting Senior Puisne Judge Lorna Shelly Williams has granted an expedited hearing in the claim brought by convicted murderer Mervin Cameron who is contending that the three-year-extension granted in 2020 to Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn, KC, is unconstitutional.

When the parties appeared in chambers today, the judge set the matter for hearing before a three-member panel in the Constitutional Court on July 13.

The hearing is scheduled for one day.

Cameron is contending that, in light of a gazette produced belatedly which shows that the extension took effect on Llewellyn's birthday, that extension breached section 96 of the Constitution because it should have commenced even a day before her birthday.

The judge gave leave to Cameron, who is being represented by attorney-at-law Hugh Wildman, to amend his claim in light of the gazette produced.

Cameron is to amend the claim by April 12 and the Attorney General, who is the defendant, is to file a response to the amendment two weeks after April 12.

Llewellyn was given a three-year-extension in July 2020 as she was due to retire that September  at age 60. 

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, in announcing the extension, said she performed very well during her 12 years as DPP.

Then Opposition leader Peter Phillips had opposed the extension.

Wildman said he had made checks this year at the government printing office to ascertain if Llewellyn was given a second extension and received information that the 2020 extension was not gazetted.

A gazette was produced some days later but Cameron is challenging the date of the extension on that gazette as it said the extension took effect on September 21, 2020, which was on Llewellyn' s birthday.

Attorney-at-law Kamau Ruddock from the Attorney General's Chambers represented the defendant.

- Barbara Gayle

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