Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C., has strongly condemned remarks made by Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton suggesting that the judiciary is influenced by wealth, calling the statement a “most serious allegation” that must either be retracted or substantiated with evidence.
Nandlall was responding to a May 12 Facebook post published on the official APNU+AFC page and attributed to Norton, which stated: “Justice must be real, not selective… fairness should never depend on your wallet.”
While Nandlall said he agrees with the notion that justice must be impartial and equal, he accused Norton of insinuating that judges and magistrates are swayed by financial considerations – a claim he described as improper, immoral, and potentially defamatory.
“If Mr. Norton has information that judges or magistrates are deciding cases based on financial or pecuniary influences, then he must come forward and say so,” Nandlall asserted. “Otherwise, he must withdraw the statement.”
The Attorney General acknowledged that public institutions, including the judiciary, are not above scrutiny but emphasised that criticisms must be fair, respectful, and free of accusations that suggest corruption or sinister motives without supporting evidence.
“Commentary must not attribute to the judiciary a sinister, ulterior, improper, or corrupt motive,” he said. “That crosses the line.”
In a pointed rebuttal, Nandlall turned attention to the record of Norton’s party, the People’s National Congress (PNC), alleging that under its rule, the judiciary itself had come under direct political influence.
As a striking example, he recalled the PNC flying its party flag atop the Court of Appeal building after removing the Privy Council as Guyana’s final appellate court – a move he labeled as “heretic.”
“Volumes of evidence exist showing the judiciary was under political control during the PNC’s time in office,” Nandlall claimed. “The flying of the PNC flag on the Court of Appeal is not fiction—it actually happened.”
The AG added, “Either Mr. Norton substantiates his claims with credible evidence or he must withdraw and apologise. Our judiciary must not be used as a political football.”
