Attorney General gets five advisors

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams SC will now be assisted in his duties by a ministerial council of legal advisors.

The council is made up of former Caribbean Court of Justice Judge, Duke Pollard; former High Court Judge, Justice James Patterson; former Justice of Appeal, Claudette Singh SC who is currently the Guyana Police Force’s Legal Advisor as well as Professor Harold Lutchman, former professor of the University of Guyana (UG) and Rudy James who still serves as a professor at UG.

At the post-cabinet press briefing yesterday, Minister of State Joseph Harmon said: “Cabinet has approved the establishment of a Ministerial Council of Legal Advisors to the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs.”

He said the functions of the council will include providing legal analysis and advice on the development of the justice sector, the government’s legislative agenda and litigation matters.

This, he said, would enable the council “to have an input of legal policy designs and to engage stakeholders who are interested in the justice sector where appropriate.”

He pointed out that “the functions of the council will include providing legal analysis and advice on the development of the justice sector, the government’s legislative agenda and litigation matters.”

According to him, “The council will be assisted in the execution of its mandate by support staff from the Ministry of Legal Affairs.”

It is unclear why the council of advisors has been deemed necessary now, two years into the term of the APNU+AFC administration.