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Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 21, 2015 (SKNIS):  The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has reached a settlement in the case against former Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Travers Sinanan on Monday, September 21 in Basseterre.

According to Honourable Vincent Byron, Attorney General, “the case involved a challenge brought by Travers Sinanan, that although his contract with the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis came to an end on July 14, 2015, he claimed that he had a right to continue in office because he had security of tenure under the constitution and had asked for a number of declarations along that line.

In a recent interview with SKNIS, the Attorney General stated that as far as the government was concerned, Mr. Sinanan is no longer the DPP effective July 15, as he was employed in July 2013 when he had already reached the age of 55, and is now 57 years old.

“The Constitution states at section 81 that there is a prescribed age for someone to be a DPP and that is 55 years,” said Honourable Byron, adding that someone who is employed should not be more than 55 and when Mr. Sinanan was employed he was already at the age of 55. “There has been a concern, should Sinanan be DPP and he has already passed the age. That has been one of the issues that had really engaged us in our deliberations.

The Attorney General is satisfied that administration of justice, in particular, the criminal justice system will now have certainty going forward.

“We have proposed a candidate to the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC) based in St. Lucia to be an Acting DPP,” said Honourable Byron, adding that the JLSC will recommend the individual to the Governor General for appointment. “A special council is also to be engaged to assist the office of the DPP in the prosecution of the September assizes.”

The September assizes begins on Tuesday, 22 September, 2015. Thirty-two (32) cases were traversed from the May to the September assizes, with an additional 16 cases for September, a total of 48 cases to be heard.