GUYANA | AG Nandlall and High Court Judge Flex Legal Muscles in Sovereignty Showdown

GEORGETOWN,  Guyana, July 28, 2024 - In the steamy political cauldron of Georgetown, Guyana, a legal tempest is brewing between two titans of the justice system. Attorney General Anil Nandlall and High Court Judge Gino Persaud are locked in a war of words that threatens to boil over, with national sovereignty and judicial independence hanging in the balance.

The spark that ignited this firestorm? A ruling by Justice Persaud that flew in the face of the government's stance on a delicate matter involving Venezuela, Guyana's troublesome neighbor to the west.

Nandlall, clearly steamed by the decision, accused Justice Persaud of donning blinders to the potential consequences of allowing a foreign arbitral award to be registered in Guyana. The Attorney General painted a picture of a judge more concerned with legal technicalities than the powder keg of international relations.

"A complaint to the Judicial Service Commission remains an option," Nandlall ominously intoned, brandishing the threat of disciplinary action like a legal cudgel. "I never intentionally disrespect courts nor will I tolerate disrespect. At least, the Office which I hold deserves better."

At the heart of this judicial jousting match lies a complex case involving American oil giant ConocoPhillips, Venezuela's state-owned PDVSA, and a cool US$32.01 million sitting in Guyana's escrow account - a tantalizing prize in this high-stakes legal chess game.

Nandlall argued that registering the award would be akin to poking the Venezuelan bear, potentially violating the delicate dance of diplomacy orchestrated by the International Court of Justice and the Argyle Declaration. He insisted that the "bellicose threats of invasion" and "continuous misuse by Venezuela of innocent occurrences" should have tipped the scales of justice in the government's favor.

But Justice Persaud was having none of it. In a scathing rebuke, he dismissed the Attorney General's public policy argument as "misconceived," effectively telling Nandlall that his legal stance held about as much water as a sieve.

The judge didn't stop there. He accused Nandlall of making "offensive submissions" and even hinted at a "veiled threat to the independence of the judiciary." In a particularly stinging barb, Justice Persaud suggested that Nandlall's arguments were better suited to "the hustings of an elections campaign" than a court of law.

Nandlall, clearly smarting from this judicial dressing-down, fired back. He rejected the judge's interpretation "absolutely" and warned that he couldn't let such "infelicitous remarks" go unchallenged, lest they tarnish the hallowed Office of the Attorney General.

As this legal drama unfolds against the backdrop of Guyana's volatile relationship with Venezuela, one can't help but wonder: In this clash between national interest and the rule of law, who will emerge victorious? And more importantly, at what cost to Guyana's judicial independence and international standing?

Stay tuned, dear readers. This judicial soap opera is far from its final act.