AG Chambers block staff from attending Bar Association Conference

Oil and Gas Law Conference

…threaten to cut salary

The local legal fraternity on Friday commenced a two-day Oil and Gas Law Conference, which saw the attendance of Judges, Magistrates and lawyers from across the country. However, legal practitioners attached to the Legal Affairs Ministry and the Attorney General’s (AG) Chambers were warned not to attend the event.

The Conference was organised by the Judiciary and the Guyana Bar Association (GBA). It is the brainchild of acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards and is aimed at exploring the legal framework in oil and gas law.
Guyana Times was told that a memorandum dated March 8, 2018, was placed in the office, barring staff from attending the Conference without the permission of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams.
The notice, which was seen by this newspaper, states “Please be informed that ‘no staff’ is permitted to attend the Guyana Oil and Gas Law Training Development Conference event hosted by the Guyana Bar Association on Friday 9th March, 2018 without the permission of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister.”
However, Williams is currently out of the country on official travel duties.
Nevertheless, the memo, which was in the name of acting Permanent Secretary Tamika Barkoye, further warned staffers that their salaries will be cut if they do not adhere to the order.
“Please note that absence from work will result in salary deduction,” the memo added.
When calls were made to the Legal Affairs Ministry’s Permanent Secretary for a comment and further clarification on the matter, this newspaper was told that she was “unavailable” to speak.
Efforts were also made to contact the Minister, via calls and messages, but all went unanswered.
However, Guyana Times understands that this move by the AG’s Chambers might have been because the organisers of the Conference did not facilitate the Minister’s schedule into the event.
Despite the move by the AG Williams, several of his Cabinet colleagues, who are also legal practitioners, attended the opening of the Conference. These include Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman, acting Prime Minister and Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan and Minister of State Joseph Harmon.
Minister Trotman had even delivered a detailed presentation on the oil and gas sector, touching on the controversial contract with ExxonMobil, oil discoveries and the territorial claim by neighbouring Venezuela.