Following ‘guilty’ verdict, Chief Magistrate Walsh agrees to retire and Gov’t agrees to full benefits package, sources claim
Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh reportedly is back in the good graces
of the Browne Administration, which, allegedly, has accepted her
retirement from the post and agreed to a benefits package – that is,
full gratuity and pension.
Walsh recently was found guilty of 15 disciplinary charges by a
tribunal appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission;
and her removal from the bench reportedly was recommended to
Governor-General Sir Rodney Williams.
Before the disciplinary trial commenced, sources say that Walsh was
advised to tender her retirement letter and, in doing so, receive her
full benefits. But at the time, the sources say, she rejected the offer,
declaring that she wished to clear her name.
However, after being informed that she had been found guilty of all
the charges, the sources claim that Walsh quickly submitted her
retirement letter to the Government, thus safeguarding her benefits
package.
Walsh served as chief magistrate for a little less than 20 years,
reports say, and there is speculation that Attorney-General Sir
Steadroy Benjamin will find other employment for her.
Meanwhile, some of Walsh’s colleagues and others in law
enforcement are not happy about what they call her “sweet deal.”
They say her treatment is in sharp contrast to that meted out to ex-
Police Commissioner Wendel Alexander (formerly Robinson), who
was terminated by the Police Service Commission without benefits
and without regard to his years of service.
Since then, Alexander has been challenging his termination in the
courts.
Other critics say they are reminded of another such “deal” – this one
with Anthony Armstrong, the former director of public prosecutions
(DPP), who found himself criminally charged in his native Jamaica.
Amidst his legal troubles, Armstrong’s retirement was accepted by
the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, clearing the way for him to
receive pension benefits from the State.
