Former Attorney General Phil Perinchief has been hired as a consultant attorney by the Attorney General’s Chambers.Mr Perinchief will work on outstanding case work related immigration appeals, Home Affairs Minister Michael Fahy told the Senate yesterday.Senator Fahy explained that even though a law providing for the establishment of an independent Immigration Appeal Tribunal was passed in 2011, the rules governing the tribunal were only finalised in February 2013.The result, he said, is a “huge backlog of cases that will undoubtedly be dealt with at a considerable cost to the Bermuda Government”.“These costs include legal fees and the retention of dedicated resources to clear the backlog,” Mr Fahy said.He said a clerk to the Tribunal had been appointed. By April, each of the 37 outstanding cases had been considered, with some decisions overturned.“Notwithstanding that a number of decisions have been overturned, consent orders confirming these decisions remain outstanding and, given the volume of work associated with the backlog of cases, the Attorney General’s Chambers was required to secure a dedicated consultant attorney to represent the Government.He said Mr Perinchief was on a “short term” contract.“It is expected that the backlog of cases currently awaiting consideration of the Immigration Appeal Tribunal will be dealt with in the coming months,” said Mr Fahy.“It is regrettable that appellants’ lives have been held in abeyance for such an extended period as a result of the failure of the former administration to ensure that the legislative process was completed in accordance with constitutional requirements.“It is important that there is faith in Government to handle such matters fairly and expeditiously and that is why we have moved to correct these injustices.”