Two non-resident Justices of Appeal were sworn in yesterday morning during a ceremony at State House.

Judge Karuna Gunesh-Balaghee and Justice Janak De Silva took their oath before Vice-President Ahmed Afif, in the absence of President Wavel Ramkalawan.

Also present were the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Anthony Fernando; Chief Justice, Rony Govinden; Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Gervais Henrie; justices of the Court of Appeal; judges of the Supreme Court; secretaries of state; members of the Constitutional Appointments Authority and senior officials in the President’s Office.

Their appointments came after President Wavel Ramkalawan received recommendations from the Constitutional Appointments Authority (CAA).

VP Afif congratulated the new appointed Judges and stated the day marked an important journey in the Judiciary of Seychelles.

“It is a very important arm of the government as we see you as protectors/guardians of Justice and individual rights of Seychelles. I have confidence that the two new appointees will bring their expertise, their hard work and their due diligence in applying the law in a way that’s fair. Decisions you take will affect individuals and corporations.”

VP Afif also expressed gratitude to the CAA for its hard work to make sure Seychelles has two qualified individuals for the job. “The government is committed to ensuring that we give every assistance possible to all arms of the government to ensure that they can function as the people expect them to with the right resources,” added VP Afif.

Judge Karuna Gunesh-Balaghee from Mauritius has 28 years of legal experience in positions of State Counsel, Senior State Counsel, Principal State Counsel, Director of Legal Department, Assistant and Parliamentary Counsel, Attorney General’s Office and as Judge of the Supreme Court of Mauritius.

Justice Janak De Silva from Sri Lanka has 32 years of legal experience including 25 years in public prosecution as a State Counsel, Senior State Counsel, Deputy Solicitor General. He also served as judge of the Court of Appeal three years ago, and is currently a Judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka since December 1, 2020.

The Justices of Appeal have been appointed in accordance with article 123 of the Constitution and they both took the Oath of Allegiance and the Judicial Oath. They have been sworn in for a five-year term.