After almost twenty years of public service, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn is making ready to demit workplace in September 2025, marking the tip of a historic 17-year run as Jamaica’s chief prosecutor. At 64 years outdated, Llewellyn will retire upon reaching the constitutional age restrict of 65 — capping a profession that has left an enduring imprint on the nation’s authorized panorama.
Appointed in 2008, Paula Llewellyn was the primary lady to function DPP and the longest-serving individual to carry the put up. Her tenure has been outlined by each landmark prosecutions and daring efforts to extend public engagement with the justice system. Beneath her management, the Workplace of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) took on a extra clear position — providing public updates, authorized explanations, and constant communication with the media, particularly in high-profile circumstances.
Among the many most notable issues dealt with throughout her time in workplace have been the Vybz Kartel homicide trial, which resulted within the controversial conviction of the favored dancehall artiste; the extradition of Christopher “Dudus” Coke, which sparked nationwide upheaval and worldwide consideration; and the Trafigura Beheer probe, which examined the bounds of political accountability and cross-border authorized cooperation. Her workplace additionally confronted setbacks, together with the collapse of the Cuban mild bulb case and the acquittal of alleged members of the Stone Crusher gang, which fueled debate over prosecutorial discretion and proof integrity.
Llewellyn’s profession got here below sharp nationwide focus in 2024, when the Constitutional Court docket dominated {that a} second extension of her tenure was “unconstitutional, null and void”. That ruling prompted her to step aside in April 2024, paving the way in which for Senior Deputy DPP Claudette Thompson to behave in her place. Nonetheless, in December 2024, the Court docket of Enchantment overturned the sooner ruling, clearing the way in which for Llewellyn to renew her duties and full her service till her sixty fifth birthday in September 2025.
As her departure approaches, authorized professionals are calling for a clear and principled choice course of for her successor. The Workplace of the Providers Commissions (OSC) marketed the place in Might 2025. The profitable candidate will need to have no less than 10 years of expertise prosecuting prison circumstances, a regulation diploma, and a Authorized Training Certificates. The position additionally carries duty for mutual authorized help and extradition, with an annual wage starting from $17.7 million to $20 million, plus relevant allowances.
Senior Deputy DPP Claudette Thompson, who led the workplace throughout Llewellyn’s temporary hiatus, is extensively considered as a robust contender for the position. Throughout her performing tenure, she earned reward for her administration of the workplace and her means to command respect from each side of the Bar.
Because the nation prepares for this uncommon transition, Llewellyn’s legacy — certainly one of authorized rigor, public engagement, and institutional reform — will form expectations for whoever subsequent assumes Jamaica’s prime prosecutorial put up.
