Court allows early hearing of challenge to GECOM Chairman ruling

James Patterson

Taking into consideration the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGE), the Guyana Court of Appeal yesterday set October 4th for the commencement of the hearing of the legal challenge to the Chief Justice Roxane George’s decision to uphold the unilateral appointment of Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairman Justice (ret’d) James Patterson.

The LGE are due to be held on November 12th.

Following the court’s decision, attorney Anil Nandlall, who filed the application for an early hearing of the challenge on behalf of PPP Executive Secretary Zulfikar Mustapha, said that the date given is acceptable in the circumstances. He noted that the court had clearly recognised the importance of the quick disposal of the matter. Moreover, he said while he would have wanted the case completed before the LGE, his main aim is to have it disposed of before the 2020 general elections.