By Kurt Campbell
[www.inewsguyana.com] – Guyana’s former Justice of Appeal Claudette Singh has been appointed by President Donald Ramotar as Legal Advisor to the Guyana Police Force, Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon has announced.
Luncheon, who made the announcement today (Wednesday, July 30), during his post cabinet media briefing, says he has no doubt that Singh’s appointment is a welcomed addition to the Force.
He explained that the police continue to be confronted in their day to day activities with several legal matters which Singh will now be in a position to offer advice on.
“She offers to the Guyana Police Force access to quality legal advice,” Dr. Luncheon boasted.
When questioned, Dr. Luncheon pointed out that while the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had been offering legal advice and will continue to be a significant element to police prosecutions, other legal matters warranted the appointment of a Legal Advisor.
Dr. Luncheon clarified too that the recent complaint filed against Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, claiming he spent some $4.5 billion illegally had no bearing on Singh’s appointment.
He says if one “looks at the chronological order of things, it would show that applications were advertised long before the report was filed” by Alliance For change Leader Khemraj Ramjattan some seven days ago.
It is anticipated that Singh would be providing legal advice on that matter which both the government and opposition have quoted, recurrently, sections of the constitution to validate and/or nullify the spending.
Efforts to get a comment from Police Commissioner (ag) SeelallPersaud on the former Justice of Appeal appointment were unsuccessful.
Singh has a long legal career which amounts to extensive experience on the bench. She recently coordinated the modernization of Guyana’s justice administration system and was a Commissioner on the Linden Commission of Inquiry.
