Llewellyn insists role is about law, not politics
Published:Sunday | January 26, 2025 | 12:10 AMLivern Barrett - Senior Staff Reporter
The country’s chief prosecutor has dismissed criticism of her tenure from the parliamentary Opposition, declaring “I don’t give currency to the sayings of politicians.”
Paula Llewellyn, the director of public prosecutions (DPP), resumed duties on January 15 after a nine-month hiatus caused by the judgment of the Constitutional Court in a lawsuit filed by members of the opposition People’s National Party (PNP).
That ruling has since been overturned.
Llewellyn was supposed to step down in September 2020 after turning 60, but she remained in office through a three-year extension granted by the Government and a constitutional amendment raising the retirement age for the DPP to 65.
The parliamentary Opposition, starting with its previous president, Dr Peter Phillips, has raised “strong” objections to Llewellyn’s continued tenure in the position she has held for more than 16 years.
But during an interview with The Sunday Gleaner, Llewellyn said her focus is not on the utterances of politicians, but on being transparent and accountable to the public and to make decisions that are based on the law and the evidence.
“Politicians have narrow interests and it’s all about themselves and gaining or keeping state power,” she said, before quickly adding, “I hope that’s not disrespectful.”
“Paula Vanessa Llewellyn didn’t just come here overnight. I’ve been doing this for over 40 years. I’ve been DPP for 16-odd years and I have worked under different administrations,” Llewellyn added.
She noted that during her tenure, she has made “adverse decisions” against well-known persons connected to both the PNP and the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
She cited, as examples, the extradition of drug kingpin Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke; using the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty to obtain a search warrant for a minister’s home in the then JLP government; and the controversial $33-million Trafigura donation to the PNP.
“Unfortunately, some persons have not been around as long as I have been. It’s as simple as that. This is not my first rodeo,” said Llewellyn, the country’s first female DPP.
Opposition Leader Mark Golding did not respond to questions submitted by The Sunday Gleaner on Thursday about whether Llewellyn enjoys the support of the Opposition.
On July 23, 2023, during a debate in Parliament, Golding noted that the Opposition had opposed the three-year extension, a stance originally taken by his predecessor, Phillips.
The three-year extension, which was requested by Llewellyn, began in September 2020 when she turned 60 and was mandated by law to demit office.
The debate in Parliament was on the Constitution (Amendment of Sections 96 (1) and 121 (1)) Act 2023, which increased the age of retirement for the DPP and the auditor general from 60 to 65.
Golding, in his contribution to the debate, disclosed that “my predecessor objected strongly in writing with substantive reasons why we did not support that extension then”.
He did not disclose the reasons.
‘Fair but fearless’
Llewellyn said the comments by Golding are “neither here nor there to me” and insisted that she will be “fair but fearless”.
“As to what the leader of the Opposition may think, that is his business. I, as a higher officer in the legal sphere, am bound to respect, to celebrate and to protect his right to have an opinion even if it is not one that would show enthusiasm as far as I am concerned,” Llewellyn said during the interview on Thursday.
During the same debate, Julian Robinson, opposition spokesman on finance, suggested that the introduction of the legislation and the manner in which it was done could compromise the independence and impartiality of the DPP’s office.
“It cannot be right for the executive arm of the Government to be rushing through Parliament with no notice [for] an extension of the office holder of the DPP,” said Robinson.
“You are compromising the independence of the office by doing so. And, as such, the perception will arise that the incumbent, who is the beneficiary of this extension, will be somehow beholden to the executive. It is wrong. It is absolutely wrong.”
But Llewellyn told The Sunday Gleaner that one of the “first major battles” of her tenure was under a JLP-led administration when her office, as the Designated Competent Legal Authority for extradition matters, handled the request for Coke to be handed over to American authorities.
For nine months, the Jamaican Government, led by then Prime Minister Bruce Golding, refused to give the green light for Coke’s extradition before caving to public pressure.
“Unfortunate utterances were made by one or two people. For those nine months, I couldn’t wilt. Although the Government was against it, I had to do my job,” she said.
Llewellyn said there was no time during her nine-month hiatus that she contemplated not returning to her post as DPP and revealed how she drew strength from “so many members of the public” who expressed confidence in her competence and leadership.