Senior Cabinet minister trying to persuade or induce chief magistrate to resign, source claims

A senior minister of government is making efforts to have Chief
Magistrate Joanne Walsh resign from the post, a source is reporting
to REAL News.

Last month, the St. Lucia-based Judicial and Legal Services
Commission leveled 10 disciplinary charges against Walsh, following
an investigation into her conduct.

She has since been placed on suspension with full pay, while
Magistrate Dexter Wason reportedly is acting in the position of
chief.

According to members of the legal fraternity, a tribunal should be
convened by the Commission’s Disciplinary Committee to hear the
matter, and Walsh has already retained counsel.

However, a source tells our Newsroom that another government
minister was sent to convince Walsh to resign ahead of the hearing
and to accept the “package” offered to her by his senior colleague.
The source is perplexed, since, he says, the chief magistrate has not
spoken to the senior MP since she served, last year, as acting DPP. 

Reportedly, at that time, the Cabinet minister had sought her
opinion on a high-profile case – in which she refused to be a part.
However, being none the wiser, the junior MP reportedly
telephoned Walsh and carried out the instruction, pitching the
resignation line.

Reports say that a fellow magistrate was also enlisted to convince
the chief magistrate to demit the position, and he, too, attempted to
convince Walsh to take a package “that she was never offered.”
Meanwhile, the source says there are several issues in this matter
involving Walsh of which the public is unaware.

They include family ties and conspiracy among her accusers, and
they are likely to be revealed during the tribunal hearing in which
Walsh has vowed to defend herself.

Accordingly, since these matters are likely to come up before the
tribunal, another source says it would be foolish, at this stage, for
Walsh to tender her resignation.

He says the perception of the public, then, would be that the chief
magistrate is guilty a charged.

Meanwhile, this source is asking why the senior minister would be
exerting pressure on the chief magistrate to resign. He speculates

that something might come to light that would put the sitting
administration in a bad light. 

In the interim, it is alleged that a certain minister is giving the
impression that Walsh will not be back and, therefore, her position
will become available shortly. 

Accordingly, several insiders says that overtures about filling the
post are being made to a female politician who was an unsuccessful
Labour Party candidate in the last General Election.