Section 25: Appeal

25. Appeal (1) Any consultant or contractor who is aggrieved by any decision of the Council may, within 21 days of the notification to him of the decision, notify the Permanent Secretary of his intention to appeal, stating his grounds of appeal. (1A) The aggrieved consultant or contractor shall, for the hearing of the appeal, pay such non-refundable fee as may be prescribed. (2) The Permanent Secretary shall inform the Minister of the appeal and the Minister shall, within 15 days of the receipt of the notice of appeal, appoint an ad hoc Committee to hear the appeal. (3) The ad hoc Appeal Committee shall comprise— (a) a barrister of not less than 3 years’ standing as Chairperson; (b) a public officer of a grade not less than Deputy Permanent Secretary; and (c) a consultant or contractor having wide experience in the field. (4) The ad hoc Committee shall determine the appeal within 2 months of the date it has been appointed to hear an appeal, and may affirm, vary or reverse the decision of the Council, stating its reasons for doing so. (5) The Secretary of the ad hoc Appeal Committee shall be a public officer designated by the Permanent Secretary. (6) The ad hoc Appeal Committee shall regulate its own procedure. (7) The ad hoc Appeal Committee shall communicate its decision to the Minister, the Council and the appellant. [S. 25 amended by s. 13 of Act 31 of 2016 w.e.f. 1 March 2017.] (S. 25 came into operation on 1 August 2014.)