AG accuses Charrandass’ lawyer of attempting to ‘influence CCJ, malign Govt’

Attorney General Basil Williams says a request by Attorney Sanjeev Datadin to block Friday’s sitting of the National Assembly is a “blatant attempt to influence the Court and malign the Government.”

Datadin, who is representing Government defector, Charrandass Persaud before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), on Wednesday during a pre-trial hearing, told the court that Friday’s sitting of the National Assembly is intended to pass critical financial legislation.

He said this should not be allowed while the matters arising from the December 21 No-Confidence motion are before the court, considering the implications of the pending rulings.

In response, President of the CCJ, Justice Adrian Saunders declined to comment on the issue unless there was an application before the court.

Datadin has since said an urgent application will be filed.

Speaking with the media later on Wednesday, the Attorney General, said the representation made to the court by Datadin is untrue and that there are no financial bills to be considered in the National Assembly at Friday’s sitting.

“This is blatant attempt to influence the Court and malign the Government. I don’t know why these attempts are being made to influence the court. The court is a competent court. The Government never gets involved with that,” the AG told the media.

The Opposition has been calling for the work of the National Assembly to cease until the rulings of the CCJ.

Williams pointed out that currently, the March 22 ruling of the Appeal court stands.

“How could they request that? We are a law-abiding country. What is the decision of the Court of Appeal that we should do that? The effect of the Court of Appeal decision is as if there never was a successful motion,” he said.

Opposition nominated Commissioners of the Guyana Elections Commission have also requested that all statutory meetings of the Commission cease until the CCJ rules on the matters relating to the No-Confidence Vote.

At the CCJ, Persaud and the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo have challenged Guyana’s Appeal Court ruling of March 22 that the No-Confidence motion was not validly passed against the ruling coalition government.

They want to restore the decision of the Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire on January 31 that the motion was validly passed.

Persaud is also challenging the contention that he was ineligible to vote because he held dual citizenship –another ruling passed by the CJ on January 31 in a case filed by a private citizen, Campton Reid on the grounds that the Constitution blocks anyone being a dual citizen from being elected a Member of the House.

The court has set May 9 and 10 for hearings on the matter.