Deidre Mezbourian said that the process for her fellow Constable, which culminated in the Royal Court declaring him ‘unfit for office’ and directing him to stand down, was evidence of a system that was open and transparent.
Mr Taylor resigned earlier this week following a court judgment that ruled his conviction for dangerous driving, and subsequent row over the use of parish funds to pay his legal fees, meant he had breached his oath of office. A new Constable is due to be elected on 28 April.
Mrs Mezbourian, who has served as Constable of St Lawrence since 2008, said that although she was shocked that the head of a neighbouring parish had been obliged to leave office, Constables had to live by ‘certain standards’.
‘It may be a shock to see that it has progressed to this, but it highlights that we have to think before we act,’ she said.
‘The reality is that the Constable was convicted of a criminal offence in the Magistrate’s Court, and it is right that he should then be subject to the jurisdiction of the Royal Court.’
Although it is rare for elected officials to end up facing a court hearing about their fitness to hold office, Mrs Mezbourian said there were precedents and that Mr Taylor’s case showed that the system was effective.
‘It could not be more transparent and has gone through due process,’ she said. ‘The court oversees the suitability of everyone who holds the role of Constable and in my view they are more accountable than Deputies or Senators – the system works.’
Mrs Mezbourian said she had attended last month’s two-day Royal Court hearing in order to assess whether improvements needed to be made to the governance process.
Mr Taylor was called to attend the civil hearing along with two parish officials – Stephen Hewlett and Michel Larose, who hold the financial/legal role of Procureurs du Bien Public. Both men faced investigations about whether they had breached their oaths of office as a result of the way the issue of Mr Taylor’s legal expenses were dealt with and were issued ‘words of advice’ by the court.
‘I wanted to consider how we could improve governance in St Lawrence and we will be meeting to discuss that within a couple of weeks,’ she said. ‘I expect that is what will happen across the Island when other Constables have had the chance to digest the judgment.’
A more detailed job description for Procureurs should be produced ahead of this September, when elections will be held for one of the two Procureur roles in each parish, she said.
Other possible changes under consideration include a clearer process for dealing with complaints about parish officials, and the introduction of a code of conduct for parish officials, similar to the codes that apply to honorary police officers and States Members.
But Mrs Mezbourian insisted that officials such as Procureurs were already accountable as a result of their oaths.
‘For example, the Treasury Minister is responsible for millions of pounds of public money, but there’s no job description for that role, no accountability to the Royal Court, and no additional oath of office beyond the oath that States Members make,’ she said. ‘Don’t say parish officials aren’t accountable – it’s not something to be taken lightly. Even the Roads Inspectors are accountable.’
