Dear Editor,
I refer to a letter authored by Clement Rohee captioned, `Judge exercised enormous amount of patience with Mr. Williams’ and an article with the headline `Jagdeo laments sloth in hearing of no-confidence appeals’ both appearing in the Monday February 25, 2019 edition of Stabroek News and an article of this ilk in the Tuesday February 26, 2019 edition of Stabroek News headed `Hearing of the AG’s confidence ruling stay applications set for Thursday.’
For some time now the casual observer would have witnessed attacks, some nuanced, some overt against a man who President Granger enlisted to carry the fight against Anti Money Laundering, Countering Terrorist Financing and Countering the financing of Weapons of Mass Destruction (AMLCFT/ CWMD), the Honourable Basil Williams S.C.M.P Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs.
Williams removed Guyana from blacklisting by both the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) within a year in office and even took up the helm of Chairman of the CFATF, lifting Guyana’s profile regionally and internationally.
Williams’ efforts severely undermined the dirty money dealers nurtured under the PPP’s time in office and the European Union (EU) only recently removed Guyana from its blacklist in recognition of the Government’s effort to combat money laundering.
Williams’ anti-corruption measures also sensitized Guyanese about chronic stealing of state assets, bribery and how to strike a blow against corrupt Government officials.
His efforts again led to Guyana being rated by Transparency International (TI) as one of the countries making progress in this area.
Despite the foregoing Stabroek News refuses to report favourable news of Williams, publishes lies and insinuations about him.
Rohee’s letter and Jagdeo’s fulminations again illustrate this unholy alliance between them in yet another attack against Williams.
Insinuating disrespect by Williams for the Learned Judge of the Court of Appeal Rishi Persaud and dubious behaviour in the Court is reminiscent of his cohort Nandlall’s fake allegation that Williams had threatened Justice Holder.
Like Oscar Ramjeet and Nandlall, Rohee will also fall by the wayside for bearing false witness against Williams, in the practise of his profession as a lawyer, and office of Minister and Attorney-General.
Stabroek News in turn is doing a great disservice to the memory of the late David de Caires its founder.
In the Court of Appeal there was no discourtesy towards Justice Persaud. Williams did as most experienced lawyers would; argued until stopped by the Court.
In addition there were healthy exchanges on the law between him and Messrs Rafiq Khan and Neil Boston and it was to those two he said he disagreed with not the Judge.
Williams in the result won the argument because Justice Persaud confirmed that the procedure followed by the State Solicitor in the filing of the second notice of appeal without leave to amend was lawful; it was in consonance with Order II Rule 6 (1) (b) which provides:-
“Without such leave, by, supplementary notice served, before the date on which the appeal appears in the cause list published in accordance with order 1, rule 5 upon each of the parties upon whom the notice to be amended was served.”
Stabroek News’ contention of glaring errors was fake news.
Justice Persaud simply asked Williams to update the application for a stay of the effect of the Judgment, and a Conservatory Order preserving the status quo ante as it was overtaken by the second or supplementary Notice of Appeal.
What was even more mind-boggling was the astonishing, malicious attack by Stabroek News against Williams and the recently appointed Solicitor General; a total fabrication. They even lacked the class to make a proper apology to the Solicitor General. Of course they must face the full force of the law.
Stabroek News is now the garbage disposal bin for the PPP.
Hence Rohee’s incoherent attempt to misrepresent the proceedings in Court that day.
Yours faithfully,
Ministry of Legal Affairs.
Editor’s note: This letter was received from the Ministry of Legal Affairs without a signatory. Letters are not published by this newspaper unless a name is provided. This was communicated to the ministry but inexplicably up to press no name was supplied. Since the letter targets Stabroek News’ coverage of various news items, it was decided that an exception be allowed and that it be published.
As it relates to the cited news items Stabroek News remains fully behind the reportage. Stabroek News is not aware of any “lies” that it has published about the Attorney General.
