Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards takes early retirement – Pres Ali confirms

– Justice George to continue as acting Chancellor

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Friday afternoon announced that Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards will be proceeding on early retirement after serving as acting Chancellor of the Judiciary of Guyana for some eight years.

This confirmation came on the heels of several local reports sparking controversy about her resumption of duties after returning from annual leave. Justice Cummings-Edwards proceeded on vacation leave in July until October.
In her absence, President Ali, on August 4, swore in the then acting Chief Justice, Roxane George, to perform the duties of the office of Chancellor of the Judiciary, and High Court Judge Justice Navindra Singh to perform the duties of the office of Chief Justice.

However, there was uncertainty about the top judicial posts after Justice Cummings-Edwards resumed work recently – something that was clarified by the Guyanese Head of State during his announcement on Friday.
“Today, Madam Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, CCH, OR, requested my approval to proceed on pre-retirement leave with effect from Monday, 27th of October, 2025, and on early retirement. After due consideration, I acceded to this request,” the President stated during a live broadcast on his Facebook page.
According to Dr Ali, “I take this opportunity to thank Madam Justice Cummings-Edwards for her long service to the judiciary and the people of Guyana. I express my personal appreciation for her many years of public service.”

Justice Cummings-Edwards began her law career in 1988 as a State Counsel within the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). She was appointed a Judge of the High Court of Guyana in 2000 and was later elevated to Judge of the Court of Appeal in 2008.
From December 2015, she acted as Chief Justice of the Judiciary of Guyana, and in March 2017, she was appointed acting Chancellor of the Judiciary – a position she served until proceeding on early retirement.
Justice Cummings-Edwards is also the recipient of two National Awards: the Cacique Crown of Honour (CCH) and the Order of Roraima (OR) for her outstanding contribution to the legal field.

Top judicial posts
Nevertheless, with Justice Cummings-Edwards going on pre-retirement leave, President Ali said that Justice George will continue to act in the office of Chancellor of the Judiciary and Justice Singh in the office of the Chief Justice.
Justice Singh was also sworn in on Friday as a member of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) at State House.

President Ali administered the oath of office to the acting Chief Justice. Justice Singh will serve as a member of the JSC for three years from Friday.
The Commission was reconstituted after six years by President Ali in July 2023. The JSC is a constitutional body responsible for handling matters related to the appointment, discipline, removal, and promotion of judicial officers, including Judges and Magistrates.
But even as the Justices George and Singh continue to act in these top judicial posts, there continue to be calls for these key positions to be permanently filled.
Article 127 (1) of the Constitution of Guyana states: “The Chancellor and the Chief Justice shall each be appointed by the President, acting after obtaining the agreement of the Leader of the Opposition.”
This “agreement” stipulation, however, has consistently resulted in political deadlock spanning over two decades and affecting five successive Presidential Administrations. Consequently, Guyana has been without a substantive Chancellor and Chief Justice for more than two decades.
It was reported on Friday that President Ali had written to Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton, seeking his agreement for the substantive appointments of Justice George and Justice Singh in their respective posts.
However, efforts by this newspaper to contact Norton as well as several Government officials to confirm this were futile.
Only last week, the newly appointed President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Justice Winston Anderson, urged that the substantive appointments of the Chancellor and Chief Justice be made swiftly in Guyana.
“It is a concern. The judiciary, of course, would like to see the Chancellor and the Chief Justice confirmed in their positions… The Office of Chancellor and the Office of Chief Justice ought to be occupied by persons who are confirmed,” Justice Anderson told reporters on the side-lines of an event in Georgetown on October 16.
However, the CCJ President recognises that there is a willingness on both the current Guyanese Government and opposition sides to end this impasse.
Guyana’s last substantive Chancellor was Justice Desiree Bernard, who served until 2005, when she left to join the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). Since then, Justice Carl Singh was appointed acting Chancellor – a position he held until his retirement in 2017 without being confirmed.
Justice Cummings-Edwards was then appointed acting Chancellor in 2017 by former President David Granger. He had also appointed Justice Roxane George as acting Chief Justice in 2017.
Prior to this, the late Justice Ian Chang was appointed acting Chief Justice in 2005 and served in the position until his retirement in 2015.
Guyana’s failure to have substantive appointments in its two top judicial posts has been lamented both locally and regionally, including by successive CCJ Presidents.
Calls for the substantive appointments of these two top judicial positions have been a recurring demand from legal professionals, civil society groups, and international organisations, who argue that the long-standing acting appointments undermine the stability and perception of the judiciary’s independence.
In the past, Attorney General (AG) Anil Nandlall, SC, along with past Bar Association President Pauline Chase, had advocated for a re-evaluation of the constitutional provisions governing these appointments. They have suggested this issue be addressed during the country’s much-anticipated constitutional review process.
Similarly, Canada had called on Guyana to review its constitutional provisions that hinder the appointment of a substantive Chief Justice and Chancellor of the Judiciary. This call came from the Second Secretary at Canada’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations (UN) Office in Geneva, Amélie Goudreau, during a review of Guyana’s human rights record at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR-UN) Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Switzerland, back in May.
Nevertheless, with the entire Constitution of Guyana slated to be under review during the reform process, it is more than likely that the provisions for these key appointments will also be under consideration.
Back in December 2024, President Ali had assured that the substantive appointment of the Chancellor and Chief Justice is being continuously looked at.
Meanwhile, the Bar Association earlier this year reiterated concerns about the prolonged lack of permanent appointments to these top judicial positions, describing the situation as “untenable”.