AG submits claim to CJ in Chambers, Opposition to reply
ATTORNEY General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, yesterday, carried the fight with the cutting band of Opposition Members of Parliament to the Chambers of the Acting Chief Justice, Mr. Ian Chang, S.C, M.P. There, he submitted that the Opposition members, in a cutting spree on the budgeted estimates, cut over $20B from the Office of the President budget for 2012.
These cuts were regarded by the AG as an abrogation of the doctrine of separation of powers, unconstitutional, unlawful, null, void, and of no legal effect.
According  to the Attorney General, the act constitutes a most contumacious and egregious abuse of power, a colossal violation of both the letter and spirit of the Constitution, an excruciating usurpation of the functions of the Executive, and a vulgar demolition of the doctrine of separation of power.
Lawyers representing the Government and Opposition members of Parliament will meet in a legal battle on July 3, 2012, to discuss the big issue.
The Attorney General and his team will take on the task of trying to get the Acting Chief Justice to order that the over $20B cut from the Office of the President Budget estimate by the Opposition be restored.
It is expected that the Opposition will be against this move.
The motion, tabled by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr. Anil Nandlall, is also seeking an interim Order to permit Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, to make advances from the contingencies fund to restore the original budget estimates for the agencies affected by the cuts.
The Government of Guyana has moved to the High Court to get an order that the over $20Billion cut from the office of the President budget restored on the ground that the National Assembly had no power to reduce the annual budget estimates.
The defendants in the action are Raphael Trotman, in his capacity as Speaker of the National Assembly, David Granger, in his capacity as Leader of the Opposition and Dr. Ashni Singh in his capacity as Minister of Finance.