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Judiciary |
Administrative divisions |
TheSupreme Court of Seychelles is the highest trial court inSeychelles.
It was created in 1903 by Order in Council, when it consisted of one judge who was the Chief Justice of the Court. Appeal cases with final judgments of the court in civil matters were transferred to theSupreme Court of Mauritius.[1]
There was a right of appeal to theJudicial Committee of the Privy Council in London - which was abolished upon independence.
When Seychelles became a republic in 1976, a newCourt of Appeal of Seychelles was constituted which consisted of a President, two Justices of Appeal and the Judges of the Supreme Court as ex-officio members. Appeals to theCourt of Civil Appeal of Mauritius and theJudicial Committee of the Privy Council were abolished.
In 1993, under the new constitution, the judicial power of Seychelles is vested in the Supreme Court, a Court of Appeal, and such subordinate courts or tribunals that may be established by the legislature. The Attorney-General and the judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President from a list of candidates prepared by the Constitutional Appointments Authority. The head of the Supreme Court, who is also the head of the Judiciary, is entitled the Chief Justice. The other judges of the Supreme Court are referred to as Puisne Judges.
| Incumbent | Tenure | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | ||
| Fury Alfred Herchenroder[1] | 1903 | 1905 | (laterChief Justice of Mauritius, 1913) |
| Eric Blackwood Wright[1] | 1905 | 1909 | |
| Alfred Karney Young[1] | 1909 | 1913 | (afterwardsAttorney General of Fiji, 1913) |
| SirEwen Reginald Logan[1] | 1914 | 1919 | (afterwardsChief Justice of the Bahamas, 1925) |
| SirPhilip Bertie Petrides[1] | 1920 | 1924 | (laterChief Justice of the Gold Coast, 1936) |
| SirJustin Louis Devaux | 1924 | 1927 | (laterChief Justice of Mauritius, 1940) |
| Robert Vere de Vere | 1927 | 1931 | (afterwardsChief Justice of Grenada, 1931) |
| Patrick Joseph Stanislaus Walsh[2] | 1931 | 1936 | |
| John WoodmanOBE | 1943 | 1947 | |
| Malcolm Douglas Lyon | 1948 | 1957 | |
| SirFrance Bonnetard[3] | 1958 | 1966 | |
| SirWilliam Campbell Wylie | 1966 | 1970 | |
| SirGeorges Souyave[1] | 1970 | ?1976 | |
| Incumbent | Tenure | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | ||
| James Aiden O'Brien Quinn[1] | 1976 | 1977 | (Expelled; afterwardsChief Justice of Kiribati, 1977–1980;Botswana, 1981–1987) |
| Earle Edward Seaton[1] | 1978 | 1989 | |
| Isaac Kobina Donkor Abban[4] | 1990 | 1993 | (afterwardsChief Justice of Ghana,1995) |
| Vivekanand Alleear | 1994 | 2009 | |
| Andrew Ranjan Perera | 2009 | ||
| Martin Stephen Egonda-Ntende[5] | 2009 | 2014 | Durai Karunakaran served as acting Chief Justice from 2014 to 2015. |
| Mathilda Twomey[5] | 2015 | 2020 | |
| Rony Goviden[6] | 2020 | ||