By Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News|
CCJ PRESIDENT RENEWS CALL FOR SUBSTANTIVE CHANCELLOR AND CHIEF JUSTICE APPOINTMENTS IN GUYANA
President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Justice Winston Anderson, has once again raised concerns about Guyana’s two-decade-long failure to appoint substantive judicial heads — a situation he says remains a significant concern for the judiciary.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Justice Anderson said confirmed appointees, not acting ones, should hold the offices of Chancellor and Chief Justice.
“I’m not speaking of any particular person, but the offices of Chancellor and Chief Justice ought to be occupied by persons who are confirmed,” he stated.
Justice Anderson noted that the constitutional requirement for both the President and the Opposition Leader to agree on the appointments has prolonged the stalemate. The last confirmed Chancellor, Justice Desiree Bernard, demitted office nearly 20 years ago, in 2005.
“That’s a pretty long time,” Justice Anderson remarked, while expressing optimism that both government and opposition are working toward resolving the issue.
Currently, Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire is serving as Chancellor, while Justice Navindra Singh is acting as Chief Justice, following Justice Yonette Cummings’ vacation leave.
Guyana has not had a confirmed Chancellor since 2005. It has had no substantive Chief Justice for more than a decade, a situation that legal experts say continues to undermine judicial stability and public confidence in the system.
“I hope by the next time I’m in Guyana, that matter would have been resolved,” Justice Anderson said.
