Independence stalwart Phil Perinchief is the new Attorney General following the resignation of Larry Mussenden.

Known as a firebrand Mr. Perinchief goes back a long way with Ewart Brown — the pair stood together on the City Hall steps to ring in a decade of change in 1969 and refused to go when Police arrived to move them on.

Described in a 1994 interview with The Royal Gazette as a former member of the radical group the Black Beret Cadre, Mr. Perinchief is a former candidate for the PLP.

But he stood as an independent candidate in the 1998 general election after falling out over the independence issue.

Mr. Perinchief was asked yesterday if his pro-independence beliefs combined with his legal acumen had led to his appointment to help Bermuda over any thorny constitutional issues if it splits from Britain.

Mr. Perinchief said of the independence issue: “I haven’t had a chance to talk with the Premier concerning exactly how he wants to go about it.

“We haven’t yet formed a policy. But I do believe if he brings that back on then I will be called to look at the ramifications. I believe I will be looking very closely at the judiciary as well as court services and legislation — whether or not that’s moving along as quickly as it should.”

A former teacher, Mr. Perinchief qualified as a lawyer in 1985 and holds a teacher’s certificate as well as two Bachelors degrees and a Master of Arts in Economics, Statistics and Public Finance from universities in Canada and Tanzania.

A member of the Canadian (Ontario) Bar Association and the Canadian Criminal Bar Association, Mr. Perinchief started a law practice in 1990, specialising in administrative, constitutional, civil and criminal law.

He worked as Principal Crown counsel in the Attorney General’s Chamber before moving to the Telecommunications Ministry. The 62-year-old replaces Larry Mussenden who had pioneered a number of important bills including the The Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) and a bill bringing in mandatory three-year sentences for those caught with weapons in a public place without lawful excuse.

Premier Ewart Brown said: “I think Larry Mussenden did an outstanding job as Attorney General. I think Phil Perinchief will rise to the challenge.”