AG Chambers inherited crippling judgement debts, ill-prepared cases from PPP’s Nandlall – AG Williams – Chambers rebuilding after being broken and divided under the stewardship of the former AG – Former AG outsourced cases to lawyers without leaving any trace

DPI, GUYANA, Wednesday, May 16, 2018

The Coalition Administration is continuing its efforts of restoring the Attorney General’s Chambers to its “glory days” after being left with crippling judgment debts and ill-prepared cases involving millions of dollars, by the PPP/C regime.

Briefing the press today, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, SC., said the Chambers has begun to rebuild after being broken and divided under the stewardship of the former AG, Anil Nandlall.

“Nandlall left however a broken and divided office, characterised by two warring camps, the latter because he had taken from the DPP’s Chambers a Counsel whom he elevated to the rank of Deputy Solicitor General, paying her a salary over a million dollars a month, with allowances in the AG’s Chamber”, AG Williams explained.

Reference was made to the inherited judgment debt cases including the $7.2B Rudisa Beverages Case and the $1.7M Toolsie Persaud Case, among others.

In the Rudisa Case, the PPP/C government had imposed an environmental tax on non-returnable beverage containers which breached the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.

The Caribbean Court of Justice noted that the Government of Guyana, represented by Nandlall, did not lead evidence to show that tax was transferred as he claimed, AG Williams further disclosed.

Citing the BK International vs, the Ministry of Communities $5.7M USD case, the AG said on assuming office he was told that Nandlall had taken a decision to pay BK $225M for services rendered. This, despite repeated breaches by that company of the Haags Bosch Contract.

The court ruled in favour of BK who sued the Government for breach of contract, holding that it was entitled to remain on site.

An appeal was then filed against this decision by the AG on the grounds that the site was being consumed by smoke which affected neighbouring communities, and the request by the Inter Development Bank (IDB) for BK to remove from the site.

According to AG Williams, “a settlement was agreed between BK and his team, Minister of Communities and his team and the AG Williams and his team.  Cabinet gave its seal of approval.  It is apposite to note that Nandlall failed to appreciate that his conduct in failing to act in the face of repeated breaches by BK amounted to a waiver of them.”

The AG also said Nandlall outsourced cases to lawyers without leaving any trace.

Those lawyers failed to inform or hand over those cases, Minister Williams added, as in the Dipcon Engineering and Toolsie Persaud cases.

Several lawyers have been written to and notices placed in the dailies, requesting information regarding cases. Minister Williams suggested that criminal proceedings may be filed against those lawyers who are withholding information.

The AG Chambers has adopted an anti-corruption stance and Minister Williams has committed that it will operate in an accountable and transparent manner.

By Stacy Carmichael

Images courtesy of Shane Clement