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Local Government Minister gets 14 days to explain Sooba’s appointment
Attorneys for Local Government Minister, Ganga Persaud, have 14 days to file an answer showing cause why Chief Justice (CJ) Ian Chang should not set aside the controversial confirmation of Carol Sooba as Town Clerk.
The matter which was brought to the court by Mr. Royston King; one of the applicants for the Town Clerk position, got underway yesterday with the Minister’s lawyers asking for 21 days to answer the request to have the appointment of current Town Clerk, Carol Sooba quashed.
Royston King
Sooba was appointed city Town Clerk a month ago, amidst widespread condemnation and disapproval. She was also appointed Town Clerk despite the government convened an interview panel tasked with identifying the most suitable candidate, recognized her as the least qualified applicant. King has thus requested the Chief Justice to undo the Minister’s appointment citing that his action goes against three principal bases.
The Local Government Minister was represented by Attorneys Sadie Amin who appeared in association with Keisha Chase and Adrian Smith. King was represented by Mr. Nigel Hughes. Amin asked for 21 days to file an affidavit in answer to King’s charge, but settled for two weeks when the Chief Justice objected to the 21-day request.
King and his lawyer were also given seven days to reply to the Minister’s answer. The matter will be called again on January 16.
In King’s application to the court, he states three principal bases; that he (King) had a legitimate expectation, that after abiding by the rules and requirements of the Ministry interview panel that a legitimate decision would be made in relation to the criteria set.
King contended that the Minister would have established the interview panel, setting out a criterion to identify the most suitable candidate; that that panel would have made certain requests that the applicants would have had to satisfy.
It was further contended that the decision of the Minister deviated from those set criteria when Sooba was
Local Government Minister Ganga Persuad
appointed Town Clerk. King is stating, therefore, that when the Minister chose Sooba for the post of Town Clerk, he did so by the powers vested in him and he did not take into consideration the criteria that the interview panel would have set, that the viable applicants would have satisfied rules and regulations and further, ignoring the recommendations of the interview panel.
That interview panel included Local Government Permanent Secretary Collin Croal, Local Government Union President Dale Beresford, and Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green. Several of the panelists have stated placidly that Sooba should not have been awarded the post since she was the least qualified applicant and that she did not supply the panel with any certification of her credits.
Sooba’s appointment has also caused a stir within the Local government fraternity especially. Councilors’ of the Mayor and City Council have refused to work with Sooba stating that she is not working based on City Hall’s agenda but with that of the Local Government Ministry. The Local Government Union has further requested assistance from International labour bodies highlighting the “unfair and unjust” appointment of the Town Clerk over “better” qualified persons.
In the interview for Town Clerk, King was identified as the second most suitable applicant and Paul Clark was chosen for the post. While King states that his move to the court is about professionalism, ethics, legitimate expectations, professional pride and integrity, the Local Government Minister defended that Clark was not
Town Clerk Carol Sooba
honest when he failed to declare information about a past job.
He stated further that Sooba was then identified as the most suitable applicant for the post. Based on the requirements and criteria by which the applicants had to abide, the Minister has been asked to explain how he came to that conclusion.
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