— insists he never attacked the chancellor and judiciary

MAINTAINING that he has never attacked the Chancellor and, or the judiciary, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Basil Williams said he is giving media houses in Guyana one week to link him directly to the attacks, based on the articles they have written, or he might take action.The Attorney General issued the warning on Friday during a press conference at his Carmichael Street Office.
In recent times, the Attorney General has been accused of attacking the Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Carl Singh and the judiciary, if decisions are not made in favour of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government.
However, on Friday, he once again refuted the claims made. “…I reject the contentions that I have attacked the Chancellor and the judiciary,” the Attorney General told reporters.
To the media houses that have been peddling stories about these perceived attacks, he said, they have one week to provide the evidence.
“I am giving them a week to attribute to me what were the statements that I made attacking the judiciary. On failing which I will exercise my options,” he further stated.
The minister questioned whether his statement suggesting that Government will appeal a case was an attack on the judiciary.
Justice Singh in January threw out an appeal against the decision of the High Court last year to free Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo of a race-baiting charge, but the Attorney General had indicated that he would file another appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice.
“I am amused by it; the move by the Chancellor is not without remedy, we will take the case to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ); the case was dismissed on form and not substance…he hasn’t determined the substantive issue there,” he had said.
On Friday, he repeatedly asked reporters whether that statement was in any way an attack on the Chancellor.
STOP IT
The Attorney General made it clear that he is not prepared to allow anyone to tarnish his reputation that he has worked so hard to build.
“I have practised 33 years as a lawyer and there is no report that I tampered with a witness or a jury or had any corrupted transaction in those 33 years and I am very proud of that record,” Minister Williams pointed out.
At a previous press conference, the Attorney General had also dismissed the allegations. He had said that the criticisms made against him and the APNU+AFC Administration have no merit as they relate to the alleged interference in the judiciary.
He believes that the critics are confusing the concerns of letter-writers and others with that of the Attorney General and the Government.
“For my part, I don’t have to do anything; the acting Chancellor himself established a precedent in the case of the acting Chief Justice Ian Chang last year,” he said, adding that it was Justice Singh who advised him that the former acting Chief Justice needed to proceed on pre-retirement leave and then demit office upon attaining age 65.
“The acting Chancellor Carl Singh gave me the particulars for Mr Chang… that is how we were able to determine [his pre-retirement], because of the advice given by the acting Chancellor Carl Singh… The acting Chancellor, who is Chairman of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), supplied me with all that information, so it would be strange to me that having done that in the case of acting Chief Justice Chang, in his case that it would be different,” the Attorney General said.
He said by establishment of the precedent, the Chancellor would have to proceed on pre-retirement leave and then on his birthday, which is February 23, he would have to demit office as was the case with the former Chief Justice.