AFC Chairman Raises Red Flags Over Attorney General’s Legal Role in GECOM Affairs
By Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News
Chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC), David Patterson, is questioning the integrity of the legal advice being provided to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) following the Attorney General’s recent clarification that he is not GECOM’s legal advisor.
In an exclusive interview with HGP Nightly News, Patterson criticized what he called a “blatant conflict of interest” by Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, who he says has increasingly become a de facto legal advisor to the commission in the absence of an appointed replacement for Kurt Da Silva, whose contract was not renewed.
“For years, GECOM had its own independent legal advisor,” Patterson noted. “Yet, since Da Silva’s departure, the body hasn’t advertised the post nor made a new appointment—but instead appears to be leaning on the Attorney General, a key member of the PPP government, for legal advice.”
Patterson argued that this undermines the independence of GECOM, especially as the country prepares for the September 1 General and Regional Elections.
“You cannot have a situation where a PPP-aligned official is advising an agency that is supposed to function independently from the executive, particularly when the PPP is a major contestant in the elections,” Patterson added.
He warned that if legal challenges arise during the electoral process, this dual role could erode public trust in both the outcome and the fairness of the commission’s decisions.
“GECOM lawyers and the PPP’s lawyers cannot be the same person. That’s unacceptable in a democratic society.”
On June 3, Attorney General Nandlall said during his weekly program Issues in the News that opposition-nominated GECOM commissioners could not be allowed to “hold the commission to ransom.” He pointed to walkouts and disruptions by commissioners Charles Corbin, Vincent Alexander, and Desmond Trotman as efforts to delay the electoral preparations.
Despite his pointed remarks, the Attorney General later clarified that he does not serve as GECOM’s official legal counsel but has simply offered legal opinions when requested, just as he has to other independent constitutional bodies.
“The Attorney General is not the legal advisor of GECOM,” Nandlall said. “He has offered a legal opinion, as he has done with many independent constitutional agencies.”
Still, the AFC remains firm that the optics—and implications—of this arrangement are troubling and necessitate urgent reform before the elections.
