Legal fraternity backs confirmation of Justice Cummings-Edwards as Chancellor

The country’s judges and lawyers were loud in their support of a proposition by the Guyana Bar Association that Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards be confirmed as Chancellor of Guyana.

Justice Edwards-Cummings received a standing ovation on the proposition when she rose to speak at the opening of the Guyana Oil and Gas Law Training Development Conference being held at the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel today.

Attending the conference are the country’s judges, magistrates, and leading legal minds. Minister of State Joseph Harmon, acting Prime Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, and Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman were at the opening ceremony.

The position is against that of President David Granger, who has favoured Justice Kenneth Benjamin for Chancellor and downgrading Justice Cummings-Edwards to the position of Chief Justice.

However, the nominations by the President were rejected by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, whose agreement the President constitutionally needs to make the substantive appointments.

The proposition for Justice Edwards-Cummings to be confirmed as the substantive Chancellor was made by Devindra Kissoon, Treasurer of the Bar Association, who recognised her as fiercely independent and said she was suited to ably steer the legal profession into the future.

Just prior to his proposition, Kamal Ramkarran, President of the Bar Association, stated that Guyana was on “the right path” with Justice Cummings-Edwards and Justice Roxane George, the current acting Chief Justice, who would have reverted to a Court of Appeal Judge if the President’s nominations were agreed to by the Opposition Leader.

The President had said he was seeking legal advice on the substantive appointments of Chancellor and Chief Justice following the rejection of his nominees by the Opposition Leader.

Justices Cummings-Edwards and George were appointed acting Chancellor and Chief Justice, respectively, in March 2017.