The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY General Carl Bethel said the Bahamas Bar Council should stop acting “politically” and admit two Africans working in senior positions at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to the Bahamas Bar.

In November the council rejected the applications of Nigerian Nikiruka Jones-Nebo and Ugandan David Bakibinga who have been serving as deputy director of public prosecutions and assistant director of public prosecutions for about seven months. Their hiring had upset some local lawyers who believed Bahamians should have filled the roles.

Without admission to the Bahamas Bar, the lawyers cannot argue cases in court as expected of people in those roles. “We have recourse if (the Bar Council) continues to act politically,” Mr Bethel said yesterday. “This is pure politics. The reality is that the Office of DPP is very thin at the top. And several of my senior officers are moving off to other areas. We advertised and selected the persons best suited to provide needed leadership and experience.”

The Bar Council rejected the applications after determining the applicants did not have the certifications for the Bar that are specified in the first schedule of the Legal Profession Act. The provision specifies which countries’ legal certifications are recognised in the Bahamas. The Tribune understands that Mrs Jones-Nebo and Mr Bakibinga did not have certificates from recognised countries and, alternatively, did not have a legal education certificate from the Council of Legal Education of the West Indies.

Asked what the government’s recourse could be, Mr Bethel said: “The Bar Council can act or Parliament can act.”

In June, Cecilia Strachan, permanent secretary for the Office of the Attorney General, said vacancies were first advertised in the press in January 2017 and that those who applied did not meet the criteria. She said the positions were then advertised internationally in January 2018. She said six people applied and were interviewed by senior OAG officials. The Judicial and Legal Services Commission reviewed their recommendation and made the final decision to select Mrs Jones-Nebo and Mr Bakibinga.