PRIME Minister Christie has been ordered to pay the full legal costs incurred by Save The Bays (STB) after his recusal application was rejected by the Supreme Court.

The Prime Minister, in his capacity as Minister for Crown Lands - appears with several other senior officials and controversial developer Peter Nygard - as a respondent in three Judicial Review cases brought by STB to challenge the environmentally destructive construction works that were allowed to take place at Nygard Cay over the past three decades.

In January, attorneys for Mr Christie filed a motion to have Justice Rhonda Bain recuse herself from these cases, and from a fourth Judicial Review brought by 103 of Mr Nygard’s Lyford Cay neighbours, on the basis that she is set to reach the legal age for retirement in April. Justice Bain has filed an application for extension that would have to be authorised by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister in consultation with the leader of the Official Opposition.

On February 7, Justice Bain ruled that Mr Christie’s application had “no merit” and reminded him of the independence of the judiciary, stressing that the Chief Justice’s role in deciding which judge hears a given case cannot be “usurped by the Prime Minister”.

Yesterday, Dawson Malone, attorney for STB, successfully argued that the environmental non-governmental organisation should be awarded full costs for the failed recusal hearing, which has since been appealed. It was also ruled that the Prime Minister will also have to pay the legal costs of Mr Nygard’s 103 neighbours.