Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, has firmly rejected allegations by Alliance For Change (AFC) leader Nigel Hughes, who accused him of a conflict of interest in relation to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
In a letter addressed to GECOM Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, Hughes argued that the attorney general’s political affiliation and public posture should disqualify him from offering legal advice to the Commission in the lead-up to the September 1 General and Regional Elections.
Minister Nandlall dismissed the claims as ‘misguided’ and ‘politically motivated.’
“The attorney general is not the legal advisor of GECOM,” he stated. “Neither has the attorney general ever held himself out to be the legal advisor of GECOM.”
He clarified that while the Attorney General’s Chambers has offered legal opinions to GECOM and other state agencies upon request, this does not constitute an ongoing advisory relationship.
“The difference, subtle as it is, one would expect would be appreciated by a lawyer such as Mr Hughes, but obviously, the nuance is lost upon him,” Minister Nandlall asserted.
He further noted that successive attorneys general have provided legal input to GECOM when asked, including during politically sensitive periods.
Citing precedent, Nandlall recalled that during the 2015–2020 electoral cycle, GECOM commissioners, Vincent Alexander, Charles Corbin and Desmond Trotman, sought legal opinions from the AG’s Chambers, particularly during the 2020 elections controversy surrounding Order 60.
“We never accused the attorney general then of being GECOM’s legal advisor,” he said.
The attorney general confirmed that his office recently responded to a formal request from GECOM concerning proposed amendments to the National Registration Act.
“Offering an opinion when asked does not make the AG the legal advisor of those agencies,” he emphasised, adding that such claims are part of a broader campaign to undermine public confidence in constitutional bodies like GECOM.
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