Attorney General Trevor Moniz has confirmed that the Minister of Home Affairs, Patricia Gordon-Pamplin, will reconsider the work permit application of the Reverend Nicholas Tweed “in accordance with the relevant legal principles as identified” in the judgment handed down on Monday.
In a prepared statement released following the ruling by Chief Justice Ian Kawaley, Mr Moniz said: “The Chief Justice rejected the argument put forward by Reverend Genevieve-Tweed that the Minister was biased in how she dealt with his work permit application.
“According to the ruling, the Minister ‘clearly attempted to deal with the work permit application in a principled manner’. However, the Chief Justice did find that there were some procedural issues with the way the Minister and Department of Immigration handled Reverend Genevieve-Tweed’s work permit renewal application. He has accordingly asked the Minister to retake the decision afresh,” he added.
“His judgment also made clear that a statutory power to delegate the Minister’s functions in respect of work permits to the Immigration Board has never been made. This has been the case since the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 1956 was first enacted. This lack of delegation caused there to be an ‘administration law muddle and confusion’. The Chief Justice did recommended that this delegation be made, and the Government will be considering the recommendation.”
He concluded: “The Minister will now reconsider the application in accordance with the relevant legal principles as identified in this judgment.”
