GOVERNMENT has received at least ten applications for the post of Chancellor of the Judiciary, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon revealed.Acting Chancellor, Justice Carl Singh, will officially retire and demit office on February 23, 2017, and according to Minister Harmon, the ten persons who have applied thus far have the requisite qualifications and experience.

“Thereafter, there will have to be a process of vetting these persons and then there will be of course, subjected to interviews,” Minister Harmon told reporters at a post cabinet press briefing, adding that government wants to ensure that the interview process is transparent.

“You’d see how a Justice of the US Supreme Court is interviewed; he has to go through a process. We’re trying to put in place some processes like that, that are transparent, that will allow for the person who actually gets into that position, to be enjoying the confidence of not only the administration, but of the Guyanese people at large,” the Minister of State said.

According to Guyana’s constitution, the Chancellor and the Chief Justice shall be appointed by the President, after obtaining the agreement of the Leader of the Opposition.

The constitution also states that an officer who is retiring from the Judicial Service shall proceed on his pre-retirement leave for all accumulated vacation leave earned prior to the effective date of his retirement. There have been concerns about Justice Singh’s retirement. He is likely to leave office without being confirmed as Chancellor, a post he has held for more than ten years.