The Court of Appeal has delivered a blistering rebuke of the much-talked-about case brought by Crystal Fisher against the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), describing it as an “abuse of the process of the court” and “completely baseless.”
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, during his Issues in the News program, highlighted the judges’ sharp criticism of the litigation, emphasizing that such language is rarely used by members of the judiciary. “These are not ordinary adjectival descriptions,” Nandlall noted. “For four judges to describe a matter in such terms shows the extreme unmeritorious nature of this case.”
The Attorney General pointed out that both Chief Justice (ag.) Navindra Singh in the High Court, and the full appellate panel, Chancellor (ag.) Roxane George, Justice of Appeal Rishi Persaud, and Justice of Appeal Nareshwar Harnanan, were unanimous in their condemnation.
Despite these judicial admonitions, Nandlall expressed concern that those behind the case appeared “completely unfazed” and continued to push the matter forward. He suggested that the continued pursuit of the appeal had less to do with law and more to do with politics and publicity.
“This litigant, an unsuspecting citizen from Region Nine, is being used,” Nandlall said, referring to Crystal Fisher. “She has already attracted a cost bill of $4 million. I don’t know how or where she will find that money to pay, but those who are the intellectual authors and instigators of this claim do not seem to care.”
The Attorney General warned that if the matter proceeds to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), the financial burden could climb even higher. “If the matter goes to the CCJ, the costs will run into millions,” he said. “And it would appear that Ms. Fisher will be the one left to bear it all.”
Nandlall also disclosed that the attempted appeal to the CCJ had already run into procedural trouble, with the regional court indicating that the documents filed were defective. “So they couldn’t even get the appeal right,” he remarked. “If you can’t get the documents right, how will you argue the case?”
The Attorney General described the entire affair as an example of legal manipulation for political purposes, lamenting the apparent disregard for the personal and financial toll on Fisher. “This is being done with impunity,” he said, stressing that those driving the litigation are more interested in making political noise than in upholding justice.
