Tonga's Attorney General John Cauchi was appointed this morning to the rank of Senior Crown Counsel in a special session attended by the Court of Appeal Judges, the King's Law Lords, magistrates, judges and law practitioners at the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court.

Appointed in May, Mr Cauchi is the seventh Attorney General for Tonga and the 10th Senior Counsel.

Tonga's Chief Justice Anthony Ford said there were very few senior counsel and the criteria for admission to Senior Counsel, included the need for one to be a law practitioner for over 10 years, have eminence in law, high integrity and to have been involved in major court cases.

He congratulated Mr Cauchi and commended his wealth of experience having worked in three Pacific Island countries including Vanuatu, Tonga and Solomon Islands. Cauchi was previously a Senior Counsel for the Tonga Crown Law Department in 1996-2001.

"And I am confident that you would serve your office with great distinction," said Chief Justice Ford.

Judiciaries

He also acknowledged that this was the first time ever that all judiciaries in the Kingdom of Tonga had assembled at one gathering. He also acknowledged the presence of Magistrate's Court judges, including those from the outer islands, HM's Law Lords (Lord Tevita Tupou, Lord Fielakepa and Lord Dalgety) as well as the overseas members of the 2009 Court of Appeal Panel of Judges, including Justice Burchett, Justice Moore and Justice Salmon.

Wig

In response, Mr Cauchi said he was deeply honoured by his appointment and explained his unusual dress, which was a combination of his junior robe and a borrowed full-bottomed wig from Lord Taniela Tufui.

"I asked to borrow his wig in the hope that some of his distilled wisdom might make its way to my thick skull but also because he was the first Tongan to hold the position as Crown Solicitor in the Kingdom of Tonga, a position that incorporated the traditional roles of Solicitor General and Attorney General.

"So I am incorrectly robed, but for good reasons, and that is to show the continuity of the law in Tonga and it is an honour for me to wear his wig today," he added.