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Philip Perinchief applies to return to Solicitor General post

Former Attorney General Philip Perinchief has applied again for the job of Solicitor General amid ongoing legal action over his failure to win the post three years ago.The Solicitor General is the top Government lawyer advising on civil matters within the Attorney General’s chambers. The post is currently held by British lawyer Barrie McKay.It was unclear yesterday why or when Mr McKay plans to leave the post, but it is currently being advertised for a salary of $177,355 per year.Mr Perinchief, 66, applied for the job last time it was vacant in 2007, but claimed he was denied the position for political reasons.He was given the political appointment of Attorney General, Bermuda’s top Government lawyer, by Premier Ewart Brown in 2006. He lost the job in a Cabinet reshuffle in December 2007 and applied for the Solicitor General post soon afterwards.When Mr McKay was given the position instead of him, Mr Perinchief took the matter to court.He claimed he was the only Bermudian among eight applicants shortlisted for the position and should have won the post. He sought almost $1 million in damages.According to a Court of Appeal ruling in the case in 2009, Mr Perinchief did not apply for the job until after the September 2007, closing date, “presumably after he had ceased being Attorney General”.The Court of Appeal rejected his application for a judicial review of the decision not to give him the job, but suggested he could still pursue a claim for damages.Yesterday, Mr Perinchief, who has 26 years of experience as a barrister said: “Litigation in respect of this position is ongoing and as a result I am unable to comment further on that aspect of the matter.”However, he said: “I have applied once again for the position and believe today, as I believed three years ago, that there are and were, politics aside, highly qualified Bermudians available to do the job.”He added: “It’s time we took the Bermudianisation of the higher echelons of the civil service and the private sector in this country more seriously and stop paying lip service or being apologetic about this principle.”Mr McKay was said to be out of the office yesterday and could not be reached for comment. Asked about the vacant post, a Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: “The Government does not publically comment on personnel matters.”Applications for the Solicitor General’s job must be in by tomorrow, April 13.