Despite the concerns raised by the Guyana Bar Association (GBA) more than a week ago, two senior judicial officers and two state prosecutors took part in a recently held two-day regional anti-money laundering workshop which was organized with input from the Guyana Government.
Stabroek News was reliably informed that Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and High Court judge Sandil Kissoon along with Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack and Assistant DPP, Teshana Lake represented Guyana on both days. The workshop which was held at the Pegasus Hotel ended last evening with a reception at State House. The two judicial officers replaced High Court judges Jo-Ann Barlow and Navindra Singh whose names were on the original list of participants. While it was not publicly stated why the duo was replaced, Stabroek News was reliably informed that their heavy workload was the deciding factor.
In correspondence dated April 25th and addressed to Chancellor of the Judiciary Yonette Cummings-Edwards, the GBA objected to joint training, arguing that it could have the appearance that the judiciary is taking directions from the executive.
