Supreme Court Judge Ronny Govinden has been appointed as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court by the Constitutional Appointments Authority. He was sworn in this morning in a ceremony at State House.

In a short statement after the ceremony, Chief Justice Govinden highlighted that his priorities for an action plan include; promoting the rule of law, the concept of justice, localizing the justice system and the Judiciary, and ensuring the executive and legislative work under the rule of law.

Souvenir photo at State House with the President of the Republic and First Lady, Vice President, Speaker of the National Assembly, the Justices of Appeal, Judges of the Supreme Court, and Magistrates.

Ronny James Govinden , born on the 20th of May 1971 , was appointed Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court of The Republic of Seychelles in April 2017 and sits in both the criminal and the civil divisions of the Supreme Court.

He started his professional career as a State Counsel in the Attorney General’s office in 2008 and was  promoted to various positions in that office which culminated with him becoming the Deputy Attorney General in 2007 and thereafter serving as the Attorney General from 2008 to 2017.

Judge Govinden graduated in the Republic of Mauritius. He was awarded an LLB (Hons) Degree by the University of Mauritius in 1996 and was successful in the Barristers Final Examination Certificate course conducted by the Mauritius Council of Legal Education in 1998. He was called to the bar of Seychelles as an Attorney at law in the year 2000.

As part of  the executive arm of the state, Judge Govinden has occupied many other governmental and quasi-governmental functions, including being a director of the Central Bank of Seychelles and that of the Seychelles Financial Services Authority.

Judge Govinden has shown a keen interest in law reform and as the Attorney General he spearheaded and was at the forefront of the process to decriminalize homosexual offences, reduce minimum mandatory penalties and render the electoral laws constitutionally compliant.

Chief Justice Govinden with President Wavel Ramkalawan and the First Lady, Linda Ramkalawan.