By Javone Vickerie | HGP Nightly News|
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Aubrey Norton, has alleged that Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) President Justice Winston Anderson personally informed him that he had participated in negotiations surrounding former acting Chancellor Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards’ departure and pressed him to support proposed substantive appointments to Guyana’s top two judicial posts.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, Norton claimed the intervention led him to conclude that the head of the regional final court had improperly inserted himself into Guyana’s domestic constitutional affairs.
Alleged Push for Top Judicial Appointments
Under Article 127(1) of the Constitution of Guyana, substantive appointments for both the Chancellor of the Judiciary and the Chief Justice require formal agreement between the President and the Leader of the Opposition.
According to Norton, Justice Anderson made repeated attempts to contact him before PNCR General Secretary Sherwin Benjamin facilitated an urgent telephone discussion. During that call, Norton alleged that Justice Anderson claimed Justice Cummings-Edwards had agreed to vacate office after receiving a retirement package from the government.
- Proposed Nominees: Norton claimed Justice Anderson asked whether he would consent to the substantive appointments of Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire as Chancellor and Justice Navindra Singh as Chief Justice.
- Refusal to Comply: Norton stated he refused to agree to the proposal, insisting he would not consider any judicial appointments until verifying independently whether Justice Cummings-Edwards was being pushed out.
Appearance of Political Involvement
Norton emphasized that his concerns predated recent CCJ rulings—including the Azruddin Mohamed extradition appeal—and were unrelated to the legal merits of those individual cases. However, he maintained that a sitting CCJ President acting as an intermediary in local executive-opposition appointments severely compromised the appearance of judicial neutrality:
“When he told me he was there during the negotiations and asked if I would agree to Justice Roxane George as Chancellor and Justice Navindra Singh as Chief Justice, I stopped taking his calls,” PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton declared. “A CCJ President should not be brokering political deals or pushing out sitting judges in Guyana. That destroyed my confidence in the court.”
Broader Context of Regional Judicial Governance
Norton noted that current reports of internal administrative discord among CCJ judges regarding Justice Anderson’s leadership style mirrored his own earlier experiences with the CCJ President.
Reiterating long-standing opposition grievances regarding the CCJ’s rulings during Guyana’s disputed 2020 General Elections, Norton stated that the latest revelations reinforce concerns over external political influence within the region’s highest court.
