A senior research officer at the Ministry of Tourism will receive a little under $.8 million for being discriminated against by the Public Service Commission (PSC) in a promotion decision dating back to 2005.

In a ruling on April 3, Justice Joan Charles declared that the failure to appoint Wendy Ann Lewis to the position of research officer I before another public officer was discriminatory and violated her right to equality of treatment under Section 4(d) of the Constitution.

The dispute originated in September 2005 when the PSC appointed another candidate – a returning scholar – to the post ahead of Lewis. The state argued that returning national scholars should receive preferential treatment over temporary acting officers in the public service. However, the judge ruled that such a preference could only be given if both candidates were of equal merit, which was not the case.