Senior Counsel Charles Fung-A-Fat has been appointed Chief Parliamentary Counsel – replacing Cecil Dhurjon, CCH, SC, who has served the Attorney General’s Chambers with distinction for decades. Fung-A-Fat’s appointment was announced on Monday by the Attorney General’s Chambers following Dhurjon’s retirement. Prior to his appointment, he was Deputy Chief Parliamentary Counsel – a position he held since 1981. Fung-A-Fat, who is no stranger to the legal fraternity, had begun his legal career at the Attorney General’s Chambers as a Parliamentary Counsel in 1981.
By 1986 be had become the Senior Legal Adviser and Principal Legal Adviser. In 1987, he was appointed Principal Parliamentary Counsel.
Fung-A-Fatt obtained his Bachelor of Laws (LL. B.) with Honours at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus. He achieved the Legal Education Certificate at the Hugh Wooding Law School, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago and is also the holder of a Certificate in Legislative Drafting (Cert. LD)through the Commonwealth Secretariat in 1982.
In excess of thirty-four years in the profession he has drafted Bills and subsidiary legislation, provided legal opinions and legal advice to the Attorney General.
He also represented the State in civil matters, including the cases of Attorney General v. Alli and others (1987) 41WIR, P176 (1989) Law Reports of the Commonwealth (Const). p 474, the election petitions of Winston Payne and Ivan Austin and the Working People’s Alliance (W.P.A).
Additionally, he has prepared writs and advised on legal matters to all government Ministries and Departments. He has also vetted Government contracts – local as well as contracts between the Government and International lending organisations.
The Senior Counsel also served as a Member of the Inter-Governmental Task Force to implement the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) at meetings held in various territories. He was also a Member of the Technical Working Group at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation dealing particularly with intellectual property rights and dispute settlement. Additionally, Fung-A-Fat was a Member of the Inter-Agency Permanent Committee on Human Rights at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a Member of the Law Revision Commission for the last Revised Edition of the Laws of Guyana.
He represented Guyana at several meetings for example at Meetings of Regional Chief Parliamentary Counsel held in various territories to implement the Caribbean Court of Justice which included the drafting of the CCJ Rules of the Court, workshop on Legislative Measures to Combat Terrorism and the implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda and Disaster Legislation Workshop in Antigua and Barbuda under auspices of Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA). Currently he is a Member of the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel.