Attorney Jagdeo Singh's election unopposed as Speaker of the House of Representatives marks another redemptive step in his public life.

Singh got the nod from the Lower House, on May 23, during the ceremonial opening of Parliament.

Veteran parliamentarian Wade Mark, himself a former speaker, was also elected unopposed as president of the Senate.

Mr Singh has led Fortis Chambers for the last 19 years and has earned a reputation as an elite criminal appellate lawyer.

But that wasn't the first bit of background information to show up around the new Speaker. It was a case brought against him in 1999. Mr Singh was accused of accepting money that was alleged to be used as an inducement for a magistrate to grant bail.

On his arrest, Mr Singh explained that the money was his fee, but he was found guilty on two of the three charges that were brought and was sentenced to seven years in prison.

During his time in prison, Mr Singh's daughter Priya was born. His sister died of cancer.

His challenge of his conviction and sentence before the Court of Appeal was dismissed in 2001, but his hearing before the Privy Council brought a stunning denouement to the court case. King's Counsel Edward Fitzgerald (then QC) overturned the case against Mr Singh in short order, citing multiple points of order in the case and most critically, noting that Mr Singh had never been proven to have any intention of offering a bribe to anyone.

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council retired to consider the case for just 15 minutes and allowed the appeal, ending the case against Mr Singh. He returned to his legal practice eventually. There is no sense that this experience soured Mr Singh on the practice of law. He continued to practice in TT and more compellingly, the legal community of TT accepted the ruling by the Privy Council and Mr Singh's resumption of his profession.

Indeed, he would go on to work for the state, to such an extent that in 2012, questions were asked about the fees paid for his legal services to PTSC.

He most recently made news in November 2024 as a champion of using electronic tracking bracelets to strengthen the monitoring of anyone accused of a serious offence who is released on bail.

One of the key issues considered by the Privy Council was the inadequacy of the court directions regarding his reputation and good character, which were unblemished.

Mr Singh's work as a lawyer and citizen has continued to be exemplary and his appointment as Speaker underlines not the importance of that, but also of acknowledging that when a case is quashed, there should be no residual taint on the individual. It's an important lesson for the wider community.

Mr Singh's new role as Speaker should only serve to underline the arc of his career.

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