Brassel Adeline and David Esparon sworn in as Supreme Court judges |30 July 2021

By Christophe Zialor

His Worship Brassel Adeline, and former deputy Attorney General and state counsel David Esparon were sworn in as judges of the Supreme Court before President Wavel Ramkalawan in a ceremony at State House yesterday morning.

The ceremony was held in the presence of Vice-President Ahmed Afif, Chief Justice Rony Govinden, Speaker of the National Assembly Roger Mancienne, leader of government business in the National Assembly Bernard George, members of the Constitutional Appointments Authority (CAA), judges, First Lady Linda Ramkalawan as well as family members and friends of the new judges.

President Ramkalawan appointed the two judges upon recommendations made by the CAA pursuant with Article 127 of the Constitution of the Republic of Seychelles.

His Worship Brassel Adeline has a Bachelor of Law with Honours from the East London University of Mauritius and a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the University of Northumbria, England. He started his career at the Ministry of Education as a secondary school teacher in 1982 and was later transferred to the Ministry of Employment as a senior employment assistant. Mr Adeline then worked at the Ministry of Land Use and Housing as director for a period of time and was later appointed as secretary to the Family Tribunal in the then Ministry of Social Affairs ‒ a post he held for nine years.

In 2007, Mr Adeline was appointed deputy registrar general and chairperson of the Family Tribunal two years later. He was appointed as senior magistrate of the judiciary department in 2009 and later on chairperson of the employment tribunal. OnJuly 16, 2018, Mr Adeline was appointed Master of the Supreme Court, prior to his appointment yesterday as Judge of the Supreme Court.

David Esparon, for his part, has a Bachelor of Law with Honours and passed the Barrister’s Vocational Course. He started his career in law in 2001. In 2004, he was appointed state counsel in the Attorney General’s office, where he held different responsibilities among which he was the head of the litigation division, principal state counsel. In 2017, he was appointed acting Attorney General until the appointment of the new Attorney General that same year. On July 15, 2018, Mr Esparon was appointed deputy Attorney General.

Throughout his career, Mr Esparon has also served on several boards of parastatal bodies and has extensively continued to broaden his knowledge by attending various workshops and trainings in the domain of legal affairs.

The two new judges took two oaths before President Ramkalawan ‒ the oath of allegiance to the Constitution and the judicial oath.

Addressing the new judges and everyone gathered to witness the occasion, President Ramkalawan thanked the five members of the CAA for vetting all candidates and choosing the best ones.

“People talk a lot about their rights but we still live in a society where they do not talk about their responsibilities and how they can help themselves go forward and become responsible citizens,” said President Ramkalawan.

Furthermore he added that the appointment of a judge is a huge responsibility.

“For you to pass judgment on someone is one of the biggest responsibilities a person can have, we are all family and friends but when it comes to passing judgment you have to put that aside in the name of justice and make sure that the judgment is fair,” President Ramkalawan stressed.

The head of State also added that the public has high expectations when it comes to justice and the judges should make sure that cases are heard in a timely manner and that there is fairness in all judgments that are handed out.

“I’m asking both of you judges to adopt unity as a value now that you are beginning your careers as Supreme Court judges.”

The President also called on them to be knowledgeable and open-minded and to not turn a blind eye to corruption but to fight it head on.

President Ramkalawan has also launched an appeal for young Seychellois to join the legal profession.

Talking to the press after the swearing in ceremony Justice Adeline said he will try to raise the standards of the judiciary and make sure that justice is served in a timely manner.

“Justice delayed is justice denied. My appointment as well as Justice Esparon’s will allow us to deliver the type of justice expected by the community. As a judge I will also make sure I deliver rulings that are in line with the law,” affirmed Justice Adeline.

He also noted that he always wanted to practice law as a lawyer but he was called to help as a judge and he has accepted.

For his part, Justice Esparon said he is proud to have been appointed as a judge to the Supreme Court. He acknowledged that he has a huge responsibility as people havea lot of expectations of the judgesand he is more than ready to serve his community and put his vast knowledge in law including in the French Civil codes which will serve him well when serving his country and citizens.

When asked what he will be bringing to the table, he said: “I will be bringing my expertise in cases regarding money laundering as well as civil law cases, commercial and contract law.”