A three-month stint as acting Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

This is what has been given to Roger Gaspard, who yesterday afternoon officially received his letter of appointment from the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC), sources said.

The letter was delivered around 3 p.m. at the DPP’s Winsure Building, Richmond Street, Port of Spain offices.

Gaspard, who had earlier this year applied for the top post, was not given the nod of approval then, while former acting DPP, Carla Brown-Antoine, who also had applied for the post, was vetoed by Prime Minister Patrick Manning. Assistant DPP Wayne Rajbansie also applied and was told the post would be re-advertised.

Following her rejection, Brown-Antoine was then offered a post of High Court Judge, which she accepted and made her debut in the Civil Court during a welcome ceremony in her honour yesterday.

Sources close to the JLSC said yesterday that the post will be re-advertised within the next two weeks.

In a brief interview with the Express yesterday, Gaspard said just like his predecessor, he plans on continuing the high quality service in the criminal law department, as well as maintaining strong leadership skills.

Bearing in mind the galloping crime rate, Gaspard said he remains mindful that the primary role of this office was to ’the man in the street, the rank and file... and they are entitled to expect I will do all in my power to continue to deliver a high quality of service’.

Saying he was ’deeply grateful for the support and demonstrated loyalty of all the staff at the DPP’s office, Gaspard said he wanted to pay public tribute to his predecessor Brown-Antoine, ’whom I found to have been a stellar performer whilst occupying the chair’.

Adding that he will continue performing the job with ’vigour’, Gaspard said the job was one which he has ’always embraced with deep passion’.

A past student of the San Fernando Boys’ RC, San Fernando Government Secondary and Naparima College, Gaspard graduated from the University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine campus in 1985 with a BA (Hons). In 1987, he graduated from UWI Cave Hill campus with a LLB (Hons) and three years later, he graduated from the Hugh Wooding Law School with a Legal Education Certificate (LEC).

Gaspard joined the DPP’s office in 1994 as a State Counsel 1, prior to which he was attached to several private firms where he practised both civil and criminal law.

In 2001-2003, Gaspard, who was at the time ranked as the Assistant DPP, proceeded on no pay leave, where he travelled to St Vincent and the Grenadines and took up the post of DPP in that country.

In 2004, Gaspard was elevated to the rank of Deputy DPP and has acted as DPP on two occasions.