By Travis Chase | Nightly News |
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — The Bar Council of the Bar Association of Guyana has broken its silence amid mounting regional controversy surrounding the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), issuing a firm statement condemning the unauthorized disclosure of confidential internal correspondence between judges while explicitly declining to comment on the substance of the internal dispute.
The statement follows public reports detailing significant internal discord among bench members of the region’s final appellate court, including allegations concerning the leadership and administrative style of CCJ President Justice Winston Anderson.
Focus on Breach of Judicial Confidentiality
While the leaked communications raised questions regarding internal governance and administrative oversight at the Trinidad-based regional court, the Guyana Bar Council focused its intervention squarely on the breach of judicial privacy.
The Council emphasized that internal correspondence, bench memoranda, and administrative deliberations among judges are foundational to judicial independence and must remain strictly confidential:
- Breach of Confidence: The Council declared that any unauthorized disclosure of internal bench communications to the media constitutes a “gross breach of confidence and a serious dereliction of duty” by whoever was responsible.
- Risk to Administration of Justice: The Council warned that leaking internal judicial dialogue—regardless of the underlying contents—risks undermining public trust and bringing the administration of justice into disrepute across CARICOM member states.
Support for Judicial Governance Latitude
While taking a neutral stance on the underlying dispute, the Bar Council affirmed the administrative authority vested in the head of the regional judiciary, stating that the President of the CCJ must be afforded sufficient latitude to articulate and execute an administrative vision for the Court, provided such actions remain aligned with the Court’s Code of Judicial Conduct.
Significantly, the Bar Council made clear that its statement neither endorsed nor rejected the specific administrative concerns raised by the dissenting judges:
“The Court must remain a bastion of justice in the Caribbean, and its institutional integrity must be respected, protected, and preserved,” the Bar Council stated, emphasizing its refusal to pronounce on the merits of the leaked communications.
Importance to Guyana as Final Appellate Court
The ongoing controversy carries profound significance for Guyana, where the CCJ has served as the final court of appeal since 2005, alongside its original jurisdiction interpreting the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC).
While legal bodies across the region condemn the leak itself, civil society and legal analysts note that public attention remains fixated on what the underlying governance dispute portends for long-term confidence in the leadership, transparency, and institutional stability of the Caribbean’s highest judicial tribunal.
