Courts

Reproduced from AFP Venezuelan prosecutors said Friday they would charge opposition leader Juan Guaido with “high treason” for planning to renounce the country’s claim to a disputed border area controlled by Guyana. Guaido, the National Assembly speaker who is recognized as interim president by more than 50 countries, is being investigated for negotiating to renounce “the historical claim our country ...

Three of seven former officials of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) and the Ministry of Agriculture were Friday freed of fraud charges totalling GYD$362 million, and already defence lawyers are asking the Magistrates’ court to dismiss similar charges against the four others. Freed are former GRDB Director, Nigel Dharamlall, then Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Prema ...

Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire on Wednesday ruled that house-to-house registration is not illegal or unconstitutional but she urged the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to consider other forms of verification. She also ruled that Guyanese previously registered and residing overseas could not be removed from the database named the National Register of Registrants. She said unless the persons change their addresses ...

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on Tuesday delivered a judgement which upholds the classification decision of the CARICOM Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on cement, known as Rock Hard Cement, imported and/or distributed within CARICOM by Rock Hard Cement (Rock Hard Distributors Limited) and, Mootilal Ramhit and Sons Contracting Limited. These proceedings in the CCJ’s Original Jurisdiction ...

Guyana’s Chief Justice, Roxane George-Wiltshire is next week expected to rule on whether the house-to-house registration exercise should be halted to make way for general elections following the Caribbean Court of Justice’s (CCJ) validation of last year’s no-confidence motion. Attorney-at-Law, Anil Nandlall, who is representing political commentator Christopher Ram, said George-Wiltshire would on August 14 rule on whether the registration ...

Pro-coalition election commissioners on Wednesday afternoon emerged from a three-hour meeting, gagged by their new Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, and seemingly softer on their demand for house-to-house registration. Charles Corbin told reporters that he and colleague commissioners Vincent Alexander and Desmond Trotman responded to Justice Singh’s questions and “any further comment on these discussions could only be made by ...

Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire has ruled that Prithima Kissoon, former Deputy Solicitor General must be paid her salary that had been withheld. Ms. Kissoon’s money had been withheld by the Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry of Legal Affairs and the Attorney General. In May, 2017, the Attorney General caused Ms. Kissoon to be sent on “administrative leave” by the ...

President David Granger on Thursday stressed that the court could not instruct when general elections must be held because the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is an independent agency and that his administration remained committed to “free, fair and credible” elections with an acceptable voters’ list. “The President cannot tell the Elections Commission (when elections) must be held; neither can the ...

Chief Justice, Roxane George-Wiltshire on Wednesday said the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) indicated that elections must be held by September 18 or another date if Parliament grants an extension. “The Honourable Chief Justice (ag) stated that the consequential orders of the Caribbean Court of Justice indicate that elections be held by September 18, 2019, or such longer period as ...

Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire on Tuesday refused political commentator, Christopher Ram’s request for an order to stop the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) from continuing its now four-day old house-to-house registration process. Ram’s Attorney-at-Law, Anil Nandlall said the judge did not grant the conservatory order in an in-Chambers hearing. He said the Chief Justice did not find sufficient evidence to convince ...