CAYMAN ISLANDS-Cayman Islands seek constitutional change to reserve the attorney general post for nationals.

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, CMC – Deputy Opposition Leader Kenneth Bryan has joined forces with government backbencher Julie Hunter to call for a constitutional amendment requiring the attorney general to be Caymanian, bringing the office in line with other senior government positions.

Bryan recently filed a private member’s motion, seconded by Hunter, seeking to amend Section 56 of the Cayman Islands Constitution Order 2009 to make Caymanian status a mandatory qualification for appointment to the post.

The move comes ahead of the retirement next year of Attorney General Samuel Bulgin, who has held the position since 2003.

Unlike the deputy governor and elected members of Parliament, the attorney general is not currently required to be Caymanian.

Bryan said the proposed amendment aimed to promote constitutional fairness, national development and succession planning.

“This is about constitutional fairness, nation building and long-term succession planning for the country,” he said.

He stressed that the proposal would not compromise the professional qualifications required for the position or interfere with the independence of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC), which oversees the appointment process.

“This is not about lowering the legal standards for the attorney general, as the JLSC will still have its independence to ensure that any candidate meets the top-tier legal qualifications and experience,” Bryan said.

“We have brilliant Caymanian attorneys coming through the ranks with strong careers, and it’s time to show that there is no glass ceiling in our country. The attorney general is the principal legal adviser to our nation, and that role requires deep, lived connections to our people,” he added.

The opposition legislator said he anticipated broad parliamentary support for the proposal, which has already attracted backing from across political lines.

However, any constitutional amendment would require formal discussions with the United Kingdom and sufficient political and public support.

Bryan said he did not expect significant opposition from Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), noting that the requirement for the deputy governor to be Caymanian had already been accepted.

He maintained that extending the same qualification to the attorney general would be a reasonable step in the territory’s constitutional development.

The office of attorney general has previously attracted controversy.

In 2003, then attorney general David Ballantyne retired following the collapse of the Eurobank money-laundering trial amid allegations of surveillance and the destruction of evidence.

Bulgin was appointed later that year, several months after obtaining Caymanian status, and has served in the position for more than two decades.