Recorded threat against Kaieteur News…Legal fraternity calls for immediate sacking of Nandlall
. . . any other result would be an endorsement of the AG’s conduct
Nov 01, 2014 | News
https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...sacking-of-nandlall/
“Even in private conversation the comments are deeply troubling and inappropriate and their candid nature, unbridled by the conventions of public discourse, calls his character and professionalism into question.”
In what has clearly been the most influential and strongly worded response to date, the Guyana Bar Association
and the Guyana Women Lawyers Association, yesterday roundly condemned the recent actions put on display by Minster of Legal Affairs and Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, which was exposed via publicized audio recording.
By way of a public statement yesterday the two leading bodies, representative of the local legal fraternity, said that it wishes to “express their concern and consternation at the recorded conversation between the Attorney-General and a member of the media.”
According to the two bodies, “everything done and said by the Attorney-General since the disclosure of the conversation invites us to draw every and all reasonable inferences therefrom.”
The Guyana Bar Association is headed by Attorney-at-Law, Ronald Burch-Smith, while its female counterpart is headed by Simone Morris-Ramlall.
Both bodies contend that the statements made by the Attorney-General point to serious legal and moral infractions on his part having regard to his standing as one of the highest legal officers in the country.
The two bodies have observed that in the recording, the Attorney-General offered in vulgar and obscene language, knowledge of actual and planned illegal activities.
“Even in private conversation the comments are deeply troubling and inappropriate and their candid nature, unbridled by the conventions of public discourse, calls his character and professionalism into question.”
According to the joint statement issued, “we are most concerned that the Attorney-General appeared to be acknowledging that the use of deadly violence against the media was an acceptable reaction to frustration where public officials and other citizens are offended by what is reported about them.”
It did not escape the legal fraternity too that Nandlall in his tirade, also referred to making restitution of funds used by him for some purpose which he did not want the press to report about.
“The President of Guyana is said to have participated in conversations with a defendant in extant criminal prosecution to have same discontinued in return for less critical reporting by her co-defendant…
Equally disturbing is his persistent objectification of the unidentified woman, which conduct flies in the face of the Government’s obligations and commitments regarding respect for women.”
According to the two legal bodies, freedom of the press and freedom of speech are essential to the rule of law and political democracy.
“These freedoms result frequently in the publication of true information which may be offensive or embarrassing to some persons…But the Attorney-General needs no lecture on such matters…His Government is well acquainted with the perils of a society where the media must be ‘well-behaved’ or otherwise risk being killed or intimidated.”
According to the two umbrella bodies for Lawyers in Guyana, public officials are given wide powers and great responsibility to make thousands of important decisions, many of which never see the light of day.
“We expect in return for the privilege of office, that they demonstrate good character and judgment…Where they demonstrably fail to do so either by public action or by private conduct which bears on their fitness for office, as the Attorney-General has done, such public officials should be removed from office.”
The Guyana Bar Association and the Women lawyers Association categorically denounced the actions of the Minister and said that as leader of the Bar, the Attorney General, mindful of the honour, dignity and integrity of his office should resignimmediately.
“If he does not resign he should be removed…Any other result would be an endorsement of the Attorney-General’s conduct and an admission by the Executive that the highest moral and legal standards are not applicable to the State.”
In the now infamous recording Nandlall could be overheard advising a senior reporter of the Kaieteur newspaper to get out of the Saffon Street office, which he described as a “dangerous place”.
He hinted at an intended hit on Lall and the establishment.
“No, hear nah, you know how it gun stop? Somebody gun go into Kaieteur…You see everybody nah gat, as I told Adam (Harris) today …I said Adam, everybody don’t just…everybody, wait hold on…everybody doesn’t have a newspaper to use as a weapon. I told Adam, I said ‘Adam people got weapons, right?
“Is not newspaper they gonna use as a weapon; they got weapons and when you continue attack people like that and they have no way of responding they gun just walk with their weapon into that same f***ing Saffon Street office and wha come suh do, and innocent… Peter gun gah pay fuh f***ing Paul in deh one day.
“Me ah tell you innocent, me ah tell you honestly, man to man, that will happen soon. So the quicker you get out of deh the better.”
Describing himself as a “thoroughbred” and as a “Kshatriya” (pronounced Chatree), a reference to an upper social class in India, known to be united by their claims to rulership, the pursuit of war, or the possession of land,Nandlall hurled a string of expletives in his almost 19-minute harangue on the intended plan against Lall.
He portrayed himself as a “bad-man” who “running things” in Guyana. He boasted that the former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, his best friend Bobby Ramroop and Winston Brassington, are no match for him.
The Government has since come out in defence of Nandlall saying that it was a loose private conversation which was illegally recorded and further manipulated.