Top judge faces long list of alleged offences

A sensational list of ‘offences’ faced by a top judge of the Seychelles has been published via a new decision of that country’s Court of Appeal, reports leading legal commentator Carmel Rickard in her latest A Matter of Justice column on the Legalbrief site. Judge Durai Karunakaran, suspended late last year, is due to face a tribunal that will inquire into the list of ‘offences’, and hear his responses. The judge is a senior member of the judiciary and a former Acting Chief Justice. Complaints against him were referred to the relevant authorities by the current Chief Justice, Mathilda Twomey. A number of the allegations concern the relationship between her and Karunakaran and it is alleged among others that he continued to sign himself ‘Acting Chief Justice’ even after she took office, and refused to vacate the official chambers of the Chief Justice. The ‘offences’ also include allegations of ‘pervasive sexism’ in his decisions that threaten public confidence in his judgments.