Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, says President Dr. Irfaan Ali has already started constitutionally required consultations with United States-sanctioned Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed on appointments to key national commissions.
Speaking on his weekly programme, Issues in the News, Nandlall said the President has made it clear that wherever the Constitution requires him to engage the Opposition Leader, he will do so.
According to Nandlall, three letters were dispatched to the Opposition Leader on July 24, 2026, through Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira. He said the letters were intended to initiate consultative engagements required under the Constitution for appointments to important bodies.
The Attorney General said the first letter dealt with the President’s intention to appoint members of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), whose term had expired. He said that letter required meaningful consultation with the Opposition Leader on specific appointments to the Commission.
A second letter, Nandlall said, concerned appointments to the Public Service Commission (PSC), while the third related to appointments to the Local Government Commission (LGC) under the Local Government Commission Act of 2013.
Nandlall said all three letters were carefully prepared in keeping with the relevant constitutional and legal requirements. He said the correspondence also indicated a timeframe for the Opposition Leader’s response and the likely period within which the President would make decisions on the appointments.
The Attorney General said the Opposition Leader acknowledged receipt of the letters and informed Minister Teixeira that Opposition Chief Whip Tabitha Sarabo-Halley would respond to the correspondence.
According to Nandlall, Sarabo-Halley responded to all three letters. He said in relation to the Judicial Service Commission and Public Service Commission, the response was only an acknowledgment of receipt.
However, he said three names were submitted in relation to the Local Government Commission consultation.
“In the Local Government Commission consultation, three names came,” Nandlall said, while noting that for the other two commissions, only acknowledgements were received.
The Attorney General also disclosed that work is ongoing to compile suitably qualified persons for the Police Service Commission, so that the required consultation process for that constitutional body can begin.
Nandlall rejected claims that the President was refusing to comply with the Constitution or statutory provisions requiring consultation with the Opposition Leader.
“Those who are peddling misleading information out there, that the president is refusing to comply with the constitution or the relevant statutory provisions that require him to consult with the leader of the opposition, they should stop peddling that type of misinformation,” he said.
