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AG raps Ramjattan over false claims about judges’ confirmation

AG raps Ramjattan over false claims about judges’ confirmation

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Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, has rebuked Opposition Parliamentarian Khemraj Ramjattan over what he described as “completely fallacious” claims regarding the confirmation of four acting judges.

In an interview on the sidelines of the 2025 National Budget debate, Nandlall countered what he labelled as a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.

During his presentation to the budget debate, Ramjattan claimed that the government refused to confirm four judges, who have been acting since 2017 and have been ruling against the government in some instances.

While he did not name the four judges, the AG confirmed that they are Justices Sandil Kissoon, Damone Younge, Gino Persaud, and Simone Ramlal.

Nandlall categorically refuted these claims, stating that the accusations were “utter falsehoods” and devoid of any factual basis.

Nandlall clarified that the judges in question were appointed to act by the former APNU+AFC administration, which, at the time, Ramjattan was part of the government.

Despite being in office until 2020, the APNU+AFC Coalition never confirmed the judges.

The AG explained that under the Constitution, the confirmation of judges requires a recommendation from the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), an independent constitutional body.

“The government does not control the business or agenda of the JSC. It operates independently,” he posited. He explained that in October 2024, President Dr. Irfaan Ali received a recommendation from the JSC to confirm the four judges.

By November 2024, within a matter of weeks, Nandlall said, President Ali officially confirmed their appointments. “The government could not have done it earlier because the JSC had not made its recommendation before October,” Nandlall added.

Nandlall accused Ramjattan and the Opposition of engaging in “sophistry” and attempting to populate the public record with inaccuracies. He warned that such falsehoods if left unchecked, could mislead the public and undermine confidence in governance.

“This is just one example of the mountain of lies and sophistry being peddled in Parliament during the budget debates,” Nandlall said.

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