GBA condemns “vilest personal attacks” on GECOM Chair’s lawyer

The Bar Council of the Guyana Bar Association has condemned attacks through various mediums, on the lawyers who are representing parties in the legal proceedings in the court regarding the ongoing electoral impasse.

On Friday, the Bar Council particularly mentioned the “vilest personal attacks” over the in recent days against former Solicitor General of Guyana, Attorney-at-Law Kim Kyte-Thomas, who is representing the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, in the matter filed by APNU/AFC supporter, Misegna Jones, who is seeking to block GECOM from making a declaration of the March 2 elections results based on the figures from the National Recount.
That matter is before the High Court and after a marathon hearing of arguments on Friday, Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George is expected to hand down her decision on Monday.
Nevertheless, the Council in its missive on Friday reminded that only last week it was compelled to speak in light of escalated statements aimed at the Judiciary, inter alia, in an appalling effort to alter the course of justice.
“It would appear that persons not being so successful have now resorted to a lower level of depravity. The embarrassingly protracted election process has resulted in a heightened political atmosphere which has seen a pattern in personal attacks being levied against persons in the exercise of their profession and duties. Such attacks are wholly unacceptable, inappropriate and must be denounced,” it contended.
The Bar Council went on to note that lawyers are, by statute, officers of the court and appear for their clients in the discharge of their professional duty, under oath, without fear or favour.
To this end, it said, “We caution members of the public against such inflammatory, threatening and libellous statements which in addition to undermining the administration of justice and rule of law, could found the basis for the institution of legal proceedings and charges against such perpetrators”.
On Caricom Day, the Bar Association had cause to condemn public utterances domestically, regionally and internationally by various APNU/AFC stakeholders that were targeted against the Caribbean Court of Justice, stemming from legal proceedings with regards to the country’s still to be concluded elections.
The statement from the legal fraternity noted that “the course of justice and the administration of justice in legal proceedings are critical pillars on which the rule of law rests; The pillars of justice are intended to stand robustly after many of us are no longer of this earth, let not our conduct today cause harm to the administration of justice that it will take generations to remedy.” (G8)