Former AG Bernard De Santos dies  

Former Attorney General Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos died at a private city hospital Friday night.  

De Santos served as Guyana’s Attorney General in 1992 after the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) won the general and regional elections.  

He served in that capacity until 1997 when he decided to return to practice law privately.  

 At age 80, the Senior Counsel remained active in his practice.  

 In expressing sadness over his death, Attorney Sase Gunraj told News Room, “We shared a close personal relationship and appeared in several matters both together and on opposing sides. 

 “His willingness to entertain alternative views and offer guidance is only overshadowed by his quick wit and great sense of humour.  

“In the courtroom, he was a legal giant, while out of it, his love for animals, particularly the dozens of birds he kept, made him an all-round gentleman.  He will surely be missed.” 

In a ‘Speical Person’ feature published in the Kaieteur News in 2010, it was revealed that De Santos began his primary education at the St John’s Roman Catholic School, in 1943.

At St John’s he was tutored by one of the country’s renowned teachers, J. Henry Thomas. In 1952, De Santos successfully gained entry into Central High School. Upon completion there, he was awarded 7 “O” Level and Cambridge subjects. 

Always pushing for advancement, he began working at the Guyana Revenue Authority as a Customs Officer. This was a job he did for almost five years, the Kaieteur News reported.  

After years of hard working De Santos, in 1962, was finally able to pursue his dreams of becoming a lawyer by studying in London.   

 In 1991, then President Desmond Hoyte appointed De Santos as a Senior Counsel.