ATTORNEY General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, has condemned what he described as “scurrilous” and “contemptuous” attacks on the President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), warning that such statements can undermine respect for the administration of justice in Guyana.
Nandlall made the comments during a recent airing of his weekly programme ‘Issues in the News’ during which he stressed that the CCJ is Guyana’s final appellate court and stands at the apex of the country’s justice system.
He said while members of the public are entitled to make statements about the court and its members, including critical observations, such commentary must be made respectfully and within the bounds of the law.
“Persons can make public statements about the court and its members, even critical ones, they are obliged by law to do so respectfully,” Nandlall said.
He was responding to a social media post attributed to Mark Goring, a leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party and a regional candidate and councillor for Region 10.
Goring’s post stated, “The evidence show that the CCJ president compromised long. Bring the Baygon, let’s spray out this cockroach.”
Nandlall characterised the post, which targeted the President of the CCJ, as a “grossly disrespectful and scurrilous attack” on the country’s highest-ranking judicial officer.
He said the publication went beyond criticism of an individual judge, describing it as an attack on the CCJ itself and the administration of justice in Guyana.
“I condemn this contemptuous publication in the strongest possible term, and I invite every right-thinking member of society to do the same,” the Attorney General said.
Nandlall further warned that statements which scandalise the court could have legal consequences, including potentially constituting contempt of court.
Against this backdrop, he said maintaining public confidence in the judiciary requires criticism to be expressed responsibly, particularly when directed at institutions at the apex of the justice system.
The Attorney General also drew a distinction between legitimate criticism of the judiciary and what he described as personal and scandalous attacks against judicial officers.
According to Nandlall, such attacks risk bringing the administration of justice into disrepute and should therefore be rejected regardless of the political affiliation of those making them.
He added that had the statement come from a political party which demonstrated respect for the rule of law and the administration of justice, he would have demanded an apology and retraction.
However, Nandlall said he did not expect such a request to be productive in the circumstances surrounding the particular parties and individuals involved.