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Process of selecting Senior Counsel has become tarnished – Attorney-at-Law Timothy Jonas
Every year a number of longstanding jurists are elevated to Senior Counsel (SC) widely known as Silk. Though this year was no different, Attorney-at-Law Timothy Jonas has insisted that the process of selecting Senior Counsel has become tarnished.
Attorney-at-law Timothy Jonas
Jonas made this contention yesterday, weeks after he lost his Senior Counsel conferral, reportedly over his affiliation with A New and United Guyana (ANUG), a recently launched political party.
“One would expect that kind of vindictive politics in Guyana’s arenas. One regret for me is that as is so often the case, this was political manipulation which corrupts the process. The value of the process itself is undermined in this case because this exposure has tarnished the whole image of Silk. People who are very deserving like (Attorney-at-law) Steven Fraser are caught up in a mudslide.”
Asked whether he had queried why his conferral was rescinded, Jonas replied in the negative. According to him, it needs to be pointed out that deserving lawyers are overlooked for political reasons, while less deserving ones have been preferred.
“The obvious example is (Attorney-at-Law) Nigel Hughes who has been bypassed for the three years. (Then) President Bharrat Jagdeo had said that Nigel would never get silk under his watch, and gave spurious reasons which reflected on his own quality as a leader.”
Jonas now wants to know why this government has not corrected this shortcoming.
“The only conclusion to be drawn is that both regimes reflect the same level of vindictiveness and the same willingness to abuse their position when in power.”
According to information, sometime in November or December last year, Jonas was informed by Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Yonette Cummings-Edwards that he received approval from senior judges to be appointed SC.
Jonas was later contacted on December 25, 2017 by Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Presidency, Vic Persaud who informed him that upon the judges’ recommendation, he was being appointed SC and that in the coming days he would receive his documentation and invitation to the ceremony.
Days after word spread that he was among the lawyers who formed ANUG, he was informed that his conferral is being reconsidered.
Days later, the Ministry of Presidency announced five new SC and Jonas’ name was not on the list.
Among those who have been conferred with the honour of SC by President David Granger this year are, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack, Mr. Stephen Fraser, Mrs. Carole James-Boston, Mr. Robert Ramcharran and Mr. Rajendra Poonai.
Last year, upon approval by President Granger Attorney General Basil Williams, Neil Boston, Charles Fung-at-Fat , Chief Justice (ag) Roxanne George- Wiltshire, Llewelyn John, Rafiq Khan, Vidyanand Persaud, Rosakie Althea Robertson and retired judge Claudette Singh were appointed SC.
In 2008, K. Juman Yassin, Fitz Peters, Andrew Pollard and Josephine Whitehead were appointed SC.
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