– spent by coalition gov’t on frivolous court cases

A FORENSIC audit will soon be done within the office of the Attorney-General on all invoices and payments made, especially in private retainer contracts that have cost the Ministry of Legal Affairs millions of dollars.

Attorney-General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall revealed, on Saturday, during a virtual press conference that each of the political cases initiated by the APNU+AFC Government under the stewardship of Basil Williams was without merit but was paid for by taxpayers.

The lawyers were hired by the State to represent the State’s interest and “we continue to maintain that every one of those cases was without merit and the previous government, through its various machinations, kept filing them one after the other and the population was always wondering who was paying for the cases and lawyers.”
He said some of the invoices and financial information need special audits.

Underscoring that the cases at his disposal are only the tip of the iceberg, Nandlall, in giving examples, noted that the former attorney-general retained the services of Barbadian Queens Counsel, Ralph A. Thorne and Hal Gallop for a case billed between the AG’s office verses Zulfikar Mustapha that cost taxpayers US$30,920
“Mr. Hal Gallop in the same case billed for US$15,566 and this does not include ticket and hotel accommodation which were all paid for and are in the retainer contracts which can be made public,” Nandlall said.

Further, Attorney Ralph Thorne was paid G$4.2M in the case against former Deputy Solicitor-General, Pritima Kissoon against Basil Williams (not in his position as former AG).

In one case, the Barbadian lawyers, Queens Counsel Hal Gallop and Ralph Thorne, were paid approximately $10M for representing the State in a matter challenging the unilateral appointment of then Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (r’td) James Patterson.
In the no-confidence motion case, Nandlall said Attorney Maxwell Edwards was paid a total of G$3.8M for his services to the then Attorney-General, Basil Williams, for cases against former Speaker of the National Assembly, Barton Scotland; then Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and Christopher Ram.
Another case that challenged the no-confidence motion passed in the National Assembly on December 21, 2018 filed by private citizen Compton Reid was paid for by the then AG Basil Williams. Attorneys Rex MacKay and Neil Boston were paid G$12M by the AG chambers for legal advice to his chambers.
Additionally, Attorney Mayo Robertson in the no-confidence case was also paid $1.9M for his services and another $600,000 in the election-related case.
Queens Counsel (QC), Dr. Francis Alexis, a former AG of Grenada, was also hired by the APNU+AFC government for US$25, 000 to argue its case at the Court of Appeal in the same no-confidence motion matter.

The then government, along with the lawyers, lost the case at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) which reaffirmed that the motion was successfully passed.
Further, attorney Roysdale Forde, who is expected to represent APNU+AFC as a parliamentarian was paid more than $1.7M by the Coalition government to represent Winston Jordan (not as Minister of Finance) in private charges filed against Juan Anthony Edghill who is now minister of public works.
Jordan, who was then the minister of finance, had filed a $200M lawsuit, in his private capacity, against Edghill for malicious prosecution.
Another case with the AG chambers against Mohabir Anil Nandlall, Attorney Mayo Roberson was paid $1M.

For the case Eslyn David against the Chief Elections Officer, Attorney-at-Law, Maxwell Edwards, pocketed G$1.8M for the High Court matter and another $3M when the matter was taken to the Court of Appeal. The case was lost at the CCJ.