Former Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Cecil Kennard has been asked by Government to step down from his current post as Chairman of Police Complaints Authority (PCA).
This was confirmed by Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan this morning following the opening of the annual Police Conference.
“I think it’s age. He’s almost over 80 and the President indicated to me that he sent him a letter and he would be removing [him], at this stage, by the end of February,” Ramjattan explained.
According to Ramjattan, the search for Justice Kennard’s replacement will be the responsibility of the Ministry of the Presidency.
Nevertheless, he reflected positively on Justice Kennard’s tenure as the head of the Complaints authority.
“He has performed excellently, even whilst we were in Opposition, he was there…the reports he’s been giving were excellent reports. He is Chancellor and he’s a quality jurist and of course he knows the job of the judges’ rules, how policemen should behave, the norms that go with that highly professional vocation and so he has performed very well and he has done almost on every score, the right things in relation to his recommendations” the Minister said.
Kennard’s legal profession began in the year 1962 in England, where he was admitted to the bar after completing his studies.
He returned to Guyana that same year and was admitted to the local bar, after which he went into private practice before being appointed a State Counsel in the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Chambers in October 1965.
In 1975, he went on to serve as the DPP in Antigua & Barbuda and returned sometime after to take up an appointment as acting High Court Judge, where he served from November 1977-1985, receiving a promotion to Justice of Appeal in the process.
From June 1985- January 1995, Justice Kennard served in the Court of Appeal and was appointed Chief Justice. Then in 1996, he reached the highest point of his career when he became Chancellor of the Judiciary.
Justice Kennard is also the recipient of the Order of Roraima, which he received in 1997, for his sterling contributions to the legal profession.
