While voicing his disappointment that Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo did not agree with his nominees to hold the substantive posts of Chancellor and Chief Justice, President David Granger says he is still awaiting legal advice on how to proceed, while noting that acting appointments are not desirable.
“Well, I have to be advised by my Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General. We cannot be without a Chancellor and Chief Justice and right now two persons are acting and I had hoped that we could have moved forward by having a substantive or a full time appointment agreed but this has not happened and the constitution requires me to await the approval of the Leader of the Opposition. [That] hasn’t come, so I would have to depend on legal advice and make sure that the courts continue to function,” Granger told reporters on Wednesday, when asked what is his next step given Jagdeo’s refusal to agree to the appointment of Justice Kenneth Benjamin as Chancellor and Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards as Chief Justice.
Article 127 (1) of the Constitution states, “The Chancellor and the Chief Justice shall each be appointed by the President, acting after obtaining the agreement of the Leader of the Opposition.
