Guyana’s Attorney General, Senior Counsel Basil Williams, today said he has had enough of his name being dragged around and will no longer tolerate libelous statements being made against him.
“Time is up”,Williams said, as he told a Friday afternoon press briefing that he intends to take legal action against the Former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall and the Kaieteur News, Guyana Times and I-News over stating that he threatened a Judge of the High Court during an ongoing state case involving Trade Unionist Carvil Duncan.
In a press statement last evening, Mr. Nandlall, who is an Attorney in the same court matter, claimed that the Judge in the case walked off the bench following a threat from the Attorney General.
Today, Mr. Williams rejected that statement and denied ever threatening the Judge in the matter.
Williams recounted today that just as he wrapped up questioning a witness in the case, as the Judge was leaving the bench, he enquired whether the answer of the witness had been recorded. He said the Judge questioned him about whether he was the one in charge of the Courtroom, to which his answer was no.
He continued, that the Judge said he took umbrage by the fact that he asked whether the answer was recorded because that would imply it was not. The Attorney General said he told the Judge, that was not the intention. He said he then recalled to the Judge a story that occurred a few years ago, when during a Court matter, a Magistrate asked him whether he was questioning if he had passed his law exams. Williams said in recounting the story about interpretation he mentioned to the Judge, that the Magistrate he was speaking of was no longer around and had passed away.
Williams said he does not know how that statement made by him could ever be interpreted by the former Attorney General as any threat against the Judge who was in front of him.
He said Nandlall statement about threats may be an an attempt to turn attention away from the actual case that was taking place and his questioning of the witnesses, including Carvil Duncan.
The Attorney General said he has already spoken to his legal representatives about taking action against Nandlall and the newspapers that carried the statements. He said he found it worrying that the Kaieteur News, Guyana Times and I-News would carry entire stories based only on what Nandlall was saying and never bothered to check with him as Attorney General. Williams said “fake news” and “alternative facts” should not make their way into the Guyana media landscape.
He said his Attorneys are already drafting legal documents.
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