President David Granger, on Wednesday morning, as mandated by the Constitution of Guyana, met with the Leader of the Opposition, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo at State House, to discuss the appointment of the Ombudsman.
According to Article 191 (1) of the Constitution, “The Ombudsman shall be appointed by the President acting after consultation with the Minority Leader.”
State Minister, Joseph Harmon had said last year that Government’s appointment of the Ombudsman was imminent as the position was being carefully considered.
It was subsequently revealed that Justice (ret’d) Winston Patterson, will be appointed later today to the post of Ombudsman.
Patterson recently served on a tribunal that was established by the President to investigate suspended Chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC) Carvil Duncan’s arraignment on fraud charges.
Retired Justice Winston Moore, who served as the last Ombudsman, died in September 2016, rendering the position vacant.
The Ombudsman plays an integral role, in proliferating the accountability of the state, as an independent officer empowered by the Constitution with the responsibility to investigate complaints advanced by individuals, as well as its own, against the various government departments.
