Justice Brian Alleyne

Dominica's Brian Alleyne will not be officially installed as Chief Justice of the OECS Supreme Court.

Informed sources told GRENADA TODAY that the Prime Ministers of the sub-regional grouping known as the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) have decided not to appoint Alleyne to the top judicial post.

According to a well-placed legal source, all the countries with the exception of Grenada voted for Alleyne to take over the job that was last held by Justice Denis Byron of St. Kitts. The Dominican jurist has been acting as Chief Justice of the OECS after Byron accepted a posting in Africa.

The Chief Justice of the OECS Supreme Court has to be unaminously appointed by the Prime Ministers of the OECS to be installed in the position. The source said that Justice Denis Barrow of Belize is now considered as the front-runner for the post of OECS Chief Justice.

Legal sources in Grenada are not surprised over the decision of Grenada's ruling New National Party (NNP) government to vote against Justice Alleyne. During his stint on the island as a high court judge, Alleyne was often accused by the Keith Mitchell-led government of being bias against the administration.

Retired legal affairs and external affairs minister, Dr. Raphael Fletcher told reporters after resigning from the regime in 1998 that the Grenadian leader often made sarcastic remarks at Cabinet sittings against Justice Alleyne whenever he ruled against government in matters before the court. "He (Mitchell) would always say, Alleyne again, Alleyne again", Dr. Fletcher was quoted as saying.

Alleyne was the judge who ordered the Mitchell government to pay the Trinidad-based Dipcon Engineering over 20 million dollars in compensation for breach of contract. Government's current Legal Advisor, Hugh Wildman of Jamaica had also taken legal action against Alleyne after the judge ruled against him.

Wildman sought to prevent the judge from hearing any legal matters involving him in the local courts. The British Privy Council rebuked Wildman and the Mitchell government by accusing them of playing "fast and loose" with the court system in the Dipcon matters that was before Justice Alleyne.