Feb. 1, 2005 – Gov. Charles W. Turnbull Tuesday nominated Alva A. Swan to be the chief legal counsel for the V.I. government. In a statement issued late in the afternoon Tuesday Turnbull called upon the Legislature for a favorable confirmation of Swan as attorney general.
"He is best suited for this position at this time. I am confident Attorney Swan will lead the Department of Justice as we tackle the tough days ahead and work together to bring crime under control," Turnbull said in a letter to Senate President Lorraine L. Berry.
Swan has held the post of acting attorney general since Turnbull appointed him after Iver Stridiron's abrupt resignation in September. Stridiron vacated the Justice Department in the wake of a controversy involving a bill that would have given the commissioner of Property and Procurement authority to endorse illegal contracts. The bill was presented to the Senate by the administration. (See "Attorney General Resigns in Controversy over Bill".)
Swan has served as chief deputy attorney general for the past 11 years. According to the release that job meant supervising day-to-day operations at Justice and acting as principal advisor during the tenures of three different attorneys general.
Swan joined the V.I. Justice Department in 1993 after leaving private practice as a trial lawyer in D.C. where he also worked as managing attorney at Neighborhood Legal Services, an organization that provides services to low-income residents of the Capitol region.
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