LET me say with pellucid clarity. Charrandass has been a long-standing friend for over 35 years. Charran trusted me to the extent that he told me he was going to vote for a no-confidence motion put by the PPP. Unfortunately, all the details will never be known because it involved other actors that may not want those details to be made public.
I cannot condone and will not condone what Charran did in India for two reasons. Men need to show more respect for the foundation on which civilization rests–women. Secondly, animals need to be closer to our hearts. Charran apologised and we should move on. I will not let Charran’s indiscretion in India bring our friendship to an end.

Even if I wanted to do so, the nasty hypocrisy and ugly double-standards in this country should teach us to stick with our friends rather than make them permanent victims because society has a way of protecting and admiring people who commit repellent moral lapses. Legal and moral laws should be applied with equal meticulousness to all in society.
There is an important dimension to my friendship with Charran. I admire his courage and his dedication to the preservation of Guyana’s democratic foundations. This country owes Charran a debt. I recognise that debt. I always will. Some see Charran as a villain because of their attachment to the PNC and AFC. Some see Charran as unacceptable because of class and colour. A substantial percentage of this population sees him in a positive way. He showed me dozens of photographs on his phone of people taking photos with him during the CPL cricket final last Sunday.

I did not know Charran was facing a hearing in front of the Legal Practitioners’ Committee (LPC). That is the body that disciplines erring lawyers with the most drastic decision being disbarment. I was informed on Tuesday that if I go to the online front page of the Stabroek News I would see a headline informing readers that Charran has been summoned to appear in front of the LPC. I feared the worst – some major lapse has occurred.

I called Charran immediately to inquire what trouble he is in. He explained and given the possibility that the Stabroek News article may have generated interest; I suggested he appear on the Gildarie-Freddie Kissoon Show to explain to viewers why he has been summoned.

Here is what Charran described. In 2014, a man encroached on his neighbour’s yard by moving his fence that the neighbour felt was an encroachment. The gentleman went to court. Charran was his lawyer. When the case was called in 2019, Charran had fled Guyana in December 2018, fearing for life because of his role in toppling the APNU+AFC regime.
Could anyone be so naïve to think that Charran’s life would not have been in danger had he stayed on in Guyana? Peter Ramsaroop, who escorted Charran out of Parliament the night, said on the Gildarie-Freddie Kissoon Show that as he drove Charran towards the Ogle airport, he was afraid that he would be attacked.

Charran went on to explain on the show that when the case was called, even his client did not turn up in court, thus the reason for the dismissal. Charran explained that all his client had to do was to ask the judge for time to find another lawyer. This happens in the courts all the time.

How is the LCP going to decide this case? When I read the Stabroek News, I seriously thought that Charran was involved in criminal conduct. Surely, this cannot be a matter that should take up the time of LPC given the circumstances of Charran’s disappearance from Guyana. A pertinent question is why the judge, after seeing the absence of Charran, did not advise the man to seek another counsel.

It appears to me that all three parties are to be blamed, but less so Charran. He could not have been there, but the client should have asked for time to seek alternative arrangement and the judge should have advised the gentleman that he should find another lawyer. What can be predicted as to the outcome? Whatever it is, Charran cannot be disciplined given his personal circumstances. Normally an absent lawyer will send a message of regret to the court, but in 2019, Charran was long gone. If you have read that Stabroek News article on Charran and you are a fan of his, it is not what it appears to be from the shape of the headline. Charrandass Persaud is in no legal trouble.