President Irfaan Ali, on Tuesday said that he is actively pursuing the issue regarding a substantive Chancellor of the Judiciary and Chief Justice. However, did not say if the two Justices currently acting in the positions would be confirmed.

Justice Yonette Cummings has been Acting Chancellor and Justice Roxanne George has been acting Chief Justice since 2017.

At a State House press conference, the President said there are several factors to be considered before the appointments take place.

“As President, the issue of the Chancellor and Chief Justice is one that is being continuously looked at, it is not that we don’t have a Chancellor and Chief Justice now, we do have a Chancellor and Chief Justice acting, just like we had a Commissioner of Police acting for a period and the police Commissioner was confirmed recently. So I did not invent the situation of the acting Chancellor and Chief Justice, but I take the point that we have to move ahead with this,” the President noted.

The Constitution of Guyana prescribes that there be agreement between the President and the Leader of the Opposition on the appointment of the top two judicial officers. While the Opposition Leader has long pledged his support for the confirmation of the Justices Cummings and George, there has been no move on the part of the President to initiate the process.

In recent months, the Judiciary has faced criticism from some Government officials, including the Attorney General, on some of its rulings that were later overturned at the Caribbean Court of Justice.

The President was asked if the competence of the two top judicial officers is an issue that he is examining.

“There is a process to be followed and as President I would follow the process, taking into consideration all the circumstances that exist to ensure that we have a Chancellor and Chief Justice that would continue to take the judiciary into a place that all of us and the region would be proud of,” the President said.

Guyana has not had a substantive Chief Justice since 2001 and substantive Chancellor since 2005.

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