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Nandlall accuses AG of deliberate court delays
Dear Editor;
The Attorney-General, Mr. Basil Williams, continues to deliberately delay and stall the cases involving the tied NDCs and the tied Municipality of Mabaruma filed by Executive Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, Mr. Zulfikar Mustapha.
The case is being heard by the Honorable Madam Yonette Cummings- Edwards, Chief Justice (acting). It was last called on the 6th day of July, 2016. On that date, the Attorney-General presented his legal arguments and I commenced my reply. However, I was unable to conclude on that date. I indicated to the Court that I will need a further 30-45 minutes to conclude my presentation on the nearest available date.
The Attorney-General then regaled the Court with the details of his international travels and other activities which will not permit him to be present for the remainder of July 2016. According to his diary, the closest date convenient to him was the 12th day of August, 2016, that is, over a month away.
It should be noted that the Attorney-General is appearing with four (4) other lawyers, one of whom is the Deputy Solicitor General, who authored written submissions made in the matter. Significantly, I am making submissions and those submissions could easily be noted by the four (4) other lawyers and therefore a date could easily be fixed for the Attorney-General to reply those submissions.
Therefore, his presence is not vital. But as part of the strategy to delay and dilate, he insisted on being present. It is those circumstances and at the convenience of the Attorney-General, that the cases were adjourned to the 12th of August, 2016, at 9 AM, for continuation.
Late in the afternoon on the 11th August, 2016, I received a copy of a letter addressed to the Registrar of the Acting Chief Justice informing that the Attorney-General will be “out of town” and therefore cannot appear on the 12th August, 2016, for the continuation of the matter. I was reliably informed that the Attorney-General was in Georgetown on the morning of the 12th August, 2016. On 9 AM, 12th August, 2016, the matters were called by the Honorable Chief Justice (acting). Two lawyers appeared for the Attorney-General who made an Application for an adjournment. Despite my vehement objections, the matters were adjourned to the 17th of August, 2016.
It is my considered view, that the Attorney-General is deliberately delaying these cases to frustrate the functioning of the six (6) local authority organs. That the welfare of thousands of citizens is affected thereby seem not to concern the Attorney-General or the Government. As I said from the outset, the necessity of filing these cases should never have arisen as the law is crystal clear.
The Minister of Communities has clearly acted unlawfully. Now that redress is being sought from the Court, the legal proceedings are being frustrated. These are all machinations of an authoritarian nature to defeat the democratic will of the electorate expressed at the Local Government Election
Anil Nandlall
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