A lawyer involved in private practice would be appointed to act as Director of Public Prosecution from Sept. 1 to the end of the year, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves told Parliament early Friday morning.
He further said there is no need for “any sense of disquiet” amidst a series of resignations from the Office of the DPP.
The DPP, Sejilla McDowall, has been appointed to act as judge from Sept. 1 to Feb. 28, 2026.
Her appointment comes even as neither of the two assistant DPP posts has been filled after their holders vacated to take up posts elsewhere.
Speaking in Parliament shortly after midnight, Gonsalves said that Attorney General Grenville Williams had advised him that he was advising the chief justice to have “an experienced lawyer from the private sector in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, for a period from the first of September to the end of December, as the director of public prosecutions acting”.
Gonsalves said he knew there had been some questions in the public domain among some persons after McDowall’s appointment to act as a judge, assigned to Dominica.
“We will know whether that assignment morphs from temporary into permanent sometime during that six-month tenure,” the prime minister said.
“And then, we ourselves, obviously, have to make a decision for a recommendation by the honourable Attorney General in the normal processes of consultation as to someone who would finally be appointed DPP, just in case the incumbent doesn’t come back from her temporary judgeship.”
Gonsalves, who is also the minister of legal affairs, said he and the attorney general had “a very good discussion” on issues concerning the Office of the DPP.
“And I want to assure everyone that the DPP office would be well-resourced for the period of time when there’s the acting DPP and beyond,” he said.
“I think it’s very, very important to allay any concerns about this important office in the judicial system,” Gonsalves said.
He urged people who have been speaking “in a very uninformed way about one or two persons who have decided to resign … at the DPP’s office, that is to say, persons down the line, a couple have done so, … be circumspect and don’t speculate on this or that.
“And I see all the speculation, and no one has asked the Attorney General, and no one has asked the Minister of Legal Affairs.”
Gonsalves’ Unity Labour Party administration does not allow its attorney general to speak in Parliament.
“So, I just advise that, this early morning on my birthday, for the purposes of good governance and not to create any sense of disquiet, there’s no reason for that. Absolutely none,” said Gonsalves, who turned 79 today (Friday).
The sudden resignation of Senior Counsel Richie Matiland, a Grenadian, on July 29, and the resignation of Allana Cumberbatch leave the office with just four crown counsel, two of whom are said to be planning to leave.
Of the remaining prosecutors, the most senior has been a lawyer for 12 years, followed by another who was called to the bar five years ago. The two most junior crown counsel have less than three years’ and less than one year’s call, respectively.
The situation comes even as no assistant DPP was appointed after Karim Nelson quit to take up a post overseas some time ago and Tammika McKenzie was appointed a senior magistrate on April 1, 2024.
Sources told iWitness News that Maitland’s sudden resignation hours after the closing of the assizes came as a shock to his colleagues.
iWitness News was reliably informed that Maitland resigned because of the actions of a very senior police officer, which the prosecutor felt left him exposed to the same criminals that he prosecutes as well as their accomplices and associates.
Sources have said that some people in the Ministry of Legal Affairs were ruffled by an iWitness News article on July 28 that reported that Maitland had not appeared in court in months, reportedly as he awaited the resolution of a matter by the Attorney General’s Chambers.
The following day, during the closing of the assizes, defence counsel Grant Connell spoke in open court about Maitland’s absence from court for months.
“We lost two major pillars. I don’t even know where they are: Karim Nelson and Rose-ann Richardson.”
Richardson has reportedly taken up a post in another Caribbean country.
“We are soon to lose others,” Connell said and outlined the experience of the four counsel at the office of the DPP who had been attending court, adding that one of them might be leaving the jurisdiction soon.
“But, Counsel Maitland, I don’t know where he is. I don’t see Counsel Maitland. And since Counsel Maitland was here, since joining the prosecution, … — I am sure Mr. [Ronnie] Marks will support me, the DPP will stand and support me — has had a significant impact on the prosecution,” Connell said.
“He stood up in cases where other prosecutors would not stand up; the last one with Jacket et al. Because it is not an easy job when you look up in the dock and see certain people. He stood firm with that.”
Connell was referring to the case of contract killer Schemel “Jacket” Dunbar and his accomplice Kendine “Hoodie” Douglas of Rillan Hill.
The duo were convicted in 2023 of murder while the mastermind, Richard “Carib” Francis, pleaded guilty over the May 4, 2017, shooting deaths of brothers Danroy Cozier, a 26-year-old police constable, and Nicholas Cozier, 19.
Connell represented Douglas in that trial, in which McDowall, Maithland, and Crown Counsel Renee Simmons were the prosecutors.
PM Gonsalves’ attempt to reassure the public about the stability of the DPP’s office falls short due to a lack of transparency and dismissive rhetoric. While his pledge to keep the office “well-resourced” is a necessary commitment, it rings hollow without concrete details on staffing, funding, or the reasons behind recent resignations. Instead of addressing concerns directly, he chastises critics as “uninformed” while offering no substantive clarification—deepening rather than dispelling speculation.
Moreover, his admission that the Attorney General is barred from speaking in Parliament undermines his appeal for trust. Good governance requires accountability, not centralised control. By framing his statement as a birthday appeal rather than a serious policy response, he trivialises legitimate concerns about judicial independence. Without transparency and open dialogue, his assurances remain unconvincing.
Many public officials are resigning and taking up jobs abroad. There are others who say they are in St. Vincent due to their kids and parents. The rising costs of living and low salaries makes SVG unattractive to experienced and not talented young people. What cushions their salary provided have been eroded over the years. Also, the governance structure favours rewarding administrative actions( some of which are easily automated , others are obsolete) at the experience of the technical ( problem solving) divisions.