If Norton does not reply, President can appoint Acting Chancellor, Acting Chief Justice- Attorney General

Last Updated on Wednesday, 23 July 2025, 10:19 by Writer

Attorney General Anil Nandlall on Tuesday said if Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton refuses to reply to President Irfaan Ali’s correspondence on his planned appointment of Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire as acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, the Guyanese leader could go ahead and administer the oath of office.

Mr Nandlall said the Opposition Leader was asked to respond by July 18 but “unfortunately no response was received from Mr Norton in respect of this letter.”

“In my respectful view, the President, having not received any response from the Leader of the Opposition in the time specified, can proceed to appoint as he desires,” Mr Nandlall said.

Mr Nandlall said that on July 11, 2025, the President dispatched a letter to Mr Norton informing him that Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Yonette Cummings was granted her request to proceed on deferred accumulated leave from July 8, 2025 to October 7, 2025. The Attorney General said Mr Norton was also informed in that letter Ms George-Wiltshire was being considered to act as Chancellor and another unnamed judge as Acting Chief Justice.

When contacted via WhatsApp on Tuesday night, Mr Norton did not immediately offer reaction to the position taken by Mr Nandlall. Appearing on Monday night’s GlobeSpan24x7, Mr Norton frowned on Dr Ali’s approach. “Basically, what he is seeking to do is to ensure that he controls it and shift away from having to have agreement with the opposition,” he said, adding that he was optimistic that with the defeat of the Ali-led government, that approach would change.

The Attorney General stressed that the process of meaningful consultation “is not a one-way street” but a “two-way process” that the Court has already pronounced on. “There must be a response and a meaningful response,” he said.

The Opposition Leader said the law should not be changed to allow the National Assembly to appoint those two top judicial officers because the government would use its majority to appoint its preferred nominees. Instead, he said the President should continue to appoint the Chancellor and the Chief Justice after agreement from the Opposition Leader, but “we should look at mechanisms for breaking the deadlock.”

The People’s Progressive Party Civic-led administration has consistently refused to say exactly why Justice George-Wiltshire and Justice Cummings are not being confirmed as Chief Justice and Chancellor respectively.

Former government minister Nigel Dharamlall and Attorney General Anil Nandlall had expressed repeated concerns about Guyana Court of Appeal decisions especially on political cases that had been subsequently overturned and the High Court rulings, many by the Chief Justice, upheld by the Caribbean Court of Justice.

CCJ presidents had voiced their displeasure with the failure of the Guyana government to appoint a substantive chancellor and chief justice.