In Brief
- Former Police Service Commission chair Bliss Seepersad has been ordered to pay TT$250,000 in damages to former police commissioner Gary Griffith.
- High Court Judge Kevin Ramcharan found Seepersad liable for misfeasance in public office after she unilaterally withdrew the 2021 merit list that ranked Griffith first for reappointment.
- The court awarded damages for reputational harm, plus interest and legal costs, but dismissed Griffith’s claim for loss of opportunity.
(CMC) – A High Court judge on Wednesday ordered the former chair of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Bliss Seepersad, to pay TT$250,000 in damages to former police commissioner Gary Griffith.
In his ruling, Justice Kevin Ramcharan found Seepersad liable for misfeasance in public office over her handling of the 2021 merit list that ranked Griffith first for reappointment as police commissioner.
The case arose after Griffith’s three-year tenure ended in 2021 and he sought another term in the post. The dispute centred on the withdrawal of the merit list after it had been submitted to then-president Paula-Mae Weekes on 11 August 2021, following concerns about information that could affect the selection process.
Justice Ramcharan ruled that while the PSC had the authority to withdraw the merit list before it was submitted to the head of state for parliamentary approval, Seepersad could not unilaterally withdraw it after submission without the approval of the other commission members.
The court found that her actions caused reputational damage to Griffith and awarded him TT$250,000, including aggravated damages, along with interest of 2.5 per cent per annum from the filing of the claim, as well as legal costs.
However, the judge rejected Griffith’s claim for compensation for loss of opportunity, finding there was no guarantee Parliament would have approved his recommended reappointment had the merit list not been withdrawn.
