Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, believes the legal action filed by the parliamentary opposition to remove Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo from the National Assembly will not succeed.
On Tuesday, Nandlall said the Court will find it difficult to remove the VP because the resort to the Judiciary’s intervention is premature. After all, the issue of Jagdeo’s absenteeism was never addressed in the House.
“The entire action is precipitous and premature.
“The court cannot go into Parliament to read the register, the court can’t read the rules of the Parliament to determine who is sitting and who is absent, that is not the court’s business, that is the Speaker’s business,” Nandlall reasoned.
Opposition Parliamentarians Christopher Jones and Tabitha Sarabo-Halley filed the court action in February. They referred to the Standing Orders of the National Assembly which states that a MP’s seat shall be vacated if they are absent from sittings for more than six consecutive sessions.
The opposition claims that Jagdeo was absent for 11 consecutive sittings between December 11, 2023 and February 01, 2024.
“If a member is absent from Parliament, that is a matter for parliament, the parliament has the register,” Nandlall said, insisting that the matter must first be addressed through a motion in the House.
An MP is deemed absent if they stay away from a sitting without informing the Clerk of the National Assembly and obtaining leave from the Speaker.
Nandlall said the Clerk will have to inform the House if this was the case with VP Jagdeo.
