Dear Editor,
I refer to the letter by Mr K Juman-Yassin captioned “I believe Mr Carl Singh is a fit and proper person to be appointed Chancellor” (08.03.29)
Mr Juman-Yassin stated in his letter that he thinks Mr Carl Singh should be appointed Chancellor of the Judi-ciary.
He said some good things that he personally knew of Mr Carl Singh, he even made mention of the number of years he had been in the legal profession and his fairness in doing his duties. I am not saying what Mr Juman-Yassin had said of the former Chief Justice is wrong, neither am I prepared to say he is right. It’s just Mr Juman-Yassin’s opinion.
I have a matter in the High Court, which involves the Registrar of the Supreme Court. The Registrar flouted a court order made by Justice Burch-Smith May 7, 1998. That order provided that Kubota Diesel Engines V2203 – 40512 and V2203 – 40701 be taken into the custody of the court until the determination of a matter that was before the court. The Registrar was cited for contempt of court after releasing the said engines which were lodged in the custody of the court by a marshal of the Supreme Court by virtue of a court order.
Justice Legall heard the contempt case against the Registrar and found her guilty of contempt. The Registrar appealed Justice Legall’s decision.
The Registrar appealed to the Full Court for redress. This appeal was called up in the Full Court. After reading the contents, Mr Carl Singh who was then the Chief Justice spoke to Justice B.S. Roy who was the other judge sitting in the Full Court then said in the open court that the Registrar’s appeal cannot be heard in this court. After about the third calling up of that appeal the Chief Justice said that the Full Court was the wrong forum and he would have to throw that appeal out of the court. To my surprise on the following court date the appeal was tried by the same Justice Carl Singh and Justice BS Roy reversing Justice Legall’s decision.
In the Guyana Chronicle (Saturday, January 4, 2003) there was an article which read, “Full Court declines jurisdiction over Ramlal contempt appeal”.
Because of what Justice Carl Singh and Justice BS Roy did the matter is in its 11th year in the High Court. I am a poor man and I have suffered unfairly.
Yours faithfully,
Elton Gittens
Editor’s note
We sent a copy of this letter to Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Carl Singh for his comments. He sent us a copy of the written decision in the Full Court which shows that the court did not decline jurisdiction but granted the Registrar’s appeal on the basis that the finding of contempt in one cause, for alleged disobedience to an order made in another cause, constituted an error of jurisdiction in the court so finding. The report in the Chronicle was erroneous.
