Non-resident Guyanese being courted to be Chancellor

President David Granger said a candidate for the position of Chancellor of the Judiciary has been identified and written to, and he was awaiting a response from the candidate indicating his interest or lack thereof in the post. Following the response, if positive, Granger stated that he would be meeting with Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo to decide the way forward.
Granger, on Wednesday, said that the person was a non-resident Guyanese. He noted that the decision to have a non-resident Guyanese for the post came out of a recommendation he made to former President Donald Ramotar while he was Leader of the Opposition.
“When I was in Opposition, failing to reach an agreement on the nominees we have had, I had proposed that we search in the Anglophone Caribbean for a candidate and that search has been completed and some recommendations have been made,” he informed.
“I have written to the person who was recommended, a person of Guyanese descent, and once that is done, I think I will seek a meeting with the Leader of the Opposition in accordance with the Constitution,” the President said.
A panel comprising former Justice of Appeal, Claudette Singh; Justice James Patterson and Professor Harold Lutchman selected the nominee and made the recommendation to the President. Granger also added that the same applied for the nominee for the substantive post of Chief Justice.
Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards currently serves as acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, while Justice Roxane George is the acting Chief Justice.
Cummings-Edwards also served as acting Chief Justice, following the retirement of Justice Ian Chang, and was appointed acting Chancellor in March after Justice Carl Singh demitted office on February 23, 2017. Justice George then replaced her as acting Chief Justice.
According to Article 127 of the Constitution of Guyana, “the Chancellor and the Chief Justice shall each be appointed by the President, acting after obtaining the agreement of the Leader of the Opposition.”
In January, the Government had advertised for suitably qualified persons to fill the vacancies of Chancellor of the Judiciary and Chief Justice.