Latest update September 13th, 2026 10:36 AM
Ram files second case against Ramson over lack of access to public information
…renews call for him to be fired
Chartered accountant, Christopher Ram
Kaieteur News – Chartered accountant and attorney, Christopher Ram has approached the high court for the second time over what he said is the sustained and deliberate refusal by Commissioner of Information, Justice (Ret’d) Charles Ramson Snr, to provide information under the Access to Information Act, 2011.
According to Ram, the new application seeks a declaration that the commissioner is a public authority within the meaning of the Act; a ruling that his failure to respond constitutes a deemed refusal under section 18(3); a finding that he has breached section 23 by failing to provide the required notice or reasons; a mandatory order compelling the release of the requested information within 14 days; and costs together with such further relief as the court may consider just.
Commissioner of Information, Retired Justice of Appeal, Charles Ramson snr
Ram, who consistently led public protests against the commissioner’s office back in April, said he made further requests to the commissioner for information on tax payments made by the government on behalf of ExxonMobil under the 2016 Petroleum Agreement, the related Certificates of Assessment, (whether these payments were reflected in the national accounts or disclosed in EITI reports) the commissioner’s statutory reports to the national assembly, and statistical data on how his office processed information requests between 2015 and 2023.
But instead of complying with the clear requirements of the law, Ram said the commissioner chose delay, evasion and derision. “He has not approved, deferred, or refused the requests as required by section 18 of the Act. Nor has he provided any lawful justification under section 23. In correspondence, he has dismissed legitimate inquiries, demanded conditions that are not supported by statute, and used language unworthy of a public officeholder.
Ram lamented that Ramson, a retired Justice of Appeal, is being allowed to make a mockery of the law. He said his conduct undermines the very legal system he once swore to uphold. “It offends the public conscience and discredits the administration of justice. Ramson does not deserve to hold the office of commissioner even one day longer,” Ram stated.
He also slammed President Irfaan Ali, who, when asked to account for Ramson’s failure, responded that the government “does not intervene” in the work of the commissioner and that he has “not followed the issue.”
“That statement is both appalling and inaccurate. The president is the constitutional office-holder responsible for the Commissioner of Information. The office falls under executive oversight and is funded by taxpayers. To disclaim responsibility is to abandon constitutional duty,” Ram chided.
He said Ali’s response suggests that Ramson is being protected by a president who has also abdicated his duty. “This is no longer bureaucratic delay. It is executive-sponsored obstruction.”
Beyond the president’s glaring tolerance for sustained incompetence, Ram said the commissioner continues to be represented by attorney Pauline Chase, despite both being embroiled in a clear and unresolved conflict of interest.
“As I detailed in my letter published in Stabroek News on June 3, 2025, Miss Chase persists in acting in a private capacity while simultaneously holding public office – a situation that compromises the integrity of both roles. In doing so, she and Mr. Ramson Sr. have demonstrated a departure from the meritorious standards and noble ideals that once defined the legal profession.”
He is therefore calling on the president to sack Ramson; to have a full and independent audit of the performance of the office of the commissioner of information since its inception; and to amend the Access to Information to make it functionally effective.
Ram maintains that the situation is not a personal or a political dispute, but rather a constitutional crisis in miniature.
“If we allow the right to information to be trampled by those sworn to protect it, then we forfeit our claim to democratic governance.
No modern, democratic society can function with such gross disregard for the law and blatant refusal to carry out one’s constitutional and statutory duties. As a taxpayer and citizen of Guyana, I will not be silent until this law is respected and enforced.”
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- access to information act, Charles Ramson snr, Christopher Ram, Commissioner of Information, public information
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