Jan Liebaers has been appointed acting ombudsman following the departure of former Ombudsman Sandy Hermiston.
Liebaers, who had been deputy ombudsman since the office was formally commissioned, took his oath of office Friday, according to a post on Governor Martyn Roper’s official Facebook page.
Hermiston was the first person to hold the post of ombudsman in the Cayman Islands. She stepped down last November to accepted a post as ombudsman in Prince Edward Island, in her native homeland Canada.
She took up office in Cayman in September 2017. Her contract was sent to end in 2024.
Hermiston is set to begin her new job on 14 Feb.
In the post Friday evening, Roper stated that Liebaers will hold the post while recruitment for a permanent successor continues.
“I thanked Jan for agreeing to take on the role temporarily. The Office of the Ombudsman plays an important role in looking into complaints about government services and police misconduct as well as investigations of FOI appeals, data breaches and data protection complaints,” he said.
The governor reminded the public of the important function of the Ombudsman.
“The independence of the Office of the Ombudsman is a key strength of our good governance and Constitution and enables the public to have confidence in their fairness and impartiality,” Roper said.
Liebaers is no stranger to the office, as he served as Cayman’s acting information commissioner from 2014-2017, prior to the creation of the Office of the Ombudsman and deputy Information Commissioner from 2010-2013.
He was a key member of the drafting committees of the National Archive and Public Records Law 2007, the Freedom of Information Law 2007, the Data Protection Law 2017, and the Data Protection Regulations 2018.
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