“People have to respect the laws of the country….clearly what was done to the Attorney General was an illegal act… to record him without telling him…he was illegally taped.” – President Donald Ramotar

THE Government of Guyana maintains its support for Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr. Anil Nandlall, following the release of a controversial 19-minute recording of a telephone conversation.

This was according to President Donald Ramotar yesterday in an invited comment, at which time he also made it clear that the laws of the country must be respected.

Attorney General Mr. Anil Nandlall

“People have to respect the laws of the country….clearly what was done to the Attorney General was an illegal act… to record him without telling him…he was illegally taped…you seem to be missing the point, what was done is illegal, that’s the first thing that we must deal with…it was illegal,” he said.
The 19-minuute recording is of a conversation which allegedly occurred between a senior reporter from Kaieteur News, Mr. Leonard Gildharie, and the Attorney General last Saturday, October 25.
The recording was released by publisher of Kaieteur News, Mr. Glenn Lall after he made a report, on Monday, to Deputy Police Commissioner, Mr. Balram Persaud. Lall contends that the contents of the recording indicate that his life, the lives of his family and staff members are under threat.
President Ramotar declined to comment on what action will be taken by his Administration, following calls for the AG’s resignation, saying only that the matter is now with both the police and the courts.
Hours after the recording was released, the Government of Guyana released a statement making clear their support for Nandlall and decrying the “manipulation” of the tape.
Yesterday, the President bemoaned the misconceptions of the term “manipulation” that has been peddled widely on social media sites, among other forums.
“By manipulation I mean it was taken out of context. What is being done is to take everything out of context. That is what we are talking about when we say manipulation, we are not talking about doctoring the tape,” he said.
ADDRESSED BY CABINET
Additionally, Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon, yesterday at this post-cabinet press briefing also addressed the issue.
He disclosed that the matter was addressed by Cabinet but he declined to comment in great detail, citing the fact that the matter is now with the police and the courts.
He said, “The discussion that took place at Cabinet on this issue may have indeed been of interest to the media and to the public at large.
“However, information has been provided and until we have clarified this issue, the information about the legal action being filed, where this matter is concerned, has ordinarily aroused the notion of this matter being sub judice. Until we are advised differently, I plead your understanding.”

Dr Roger Luncheon

UNCONSCIONABLE
Meanwhile, Nandlall told the Guyana Chronicle yesterday that the fact that his private conversation was recorded is unconscionable.
He said, “My conversation was a private one with someone I have known for several years and with whom I went to secondary school. It was never intended for the public’s ear. That conversation was manipulated and taken out of context to reflect a completely different dialogue.
“It was illegally recorded and made public without my consent, knowledge or authorisation, which is a criminal offence. The police is investigating and it is also a matter under consideration by the courts. That is all I have to say on the matter.”
The AG declined to comment further on the matter.
Up to press time, Crime Chief, Mr. Leslie James, was unavailable for comment on the progress of the investigations, following Lall’s report.
Also, the AG has since sued Kaieteur News, Lall and the paper’s editor, Mr. Adam Harris, for over $30M in damages caused by the “libelous” publication of articles on pages three, six and seven, under the headline ‘Attorney-General Reveals Plan to ‘HIT’ Glenn Lall, Kaieteur News’.
***use file photo of President Donald Ramotar, Dr. Roger Luncheon and Anil Nandlall