Harry Gill: In his usual daily rants, Freddie Kissoon wrote, “Two fantastic Guyanese I met and have nothing but love for them are Nigel Hughes and Khemraj Ramjattan. They are extraordinary political activists in my book and for now I will continue to see them as I have always done.” (KN, August11).
When Bharrat Jagdeo attacked the credibility of Nigel Hughes at a 2011 PPP/C rally, Kissoon labelled this as a “naked and unbridled assault on the character of attorney Nigel Hughes.”

He wrote then, “The vicious attack on the integrity of Mr. Hughes at the Lusignan PPP rally last Sunday (October 23, 2011) by President Jagdeo will not dent the huge credibility of this brilliant lawyer” (Kaieteur News, Oct. 27, 2011).
The former President was at the time commenting on the 2003 murder of 35-year-old Buxtonian Brian Hamilton who was shot and killed by one or more gunmen as he sat in the office of his Buxton Public Road gas station, in which he said, “They had a camera and he (Hughes) took away the tape…the police never got hold of that tape and I am saying it here publicly tonight because it’s the truth and why did he take away the tape of how this guy was killed?”
By his own admission in an earlier article, “Jagdeo attacks Nigel Hughes”, Attorney Nigel Hughes admitted that he turned up shortly after the murder, and with the help of the decease’s father, removed the surveillance tape from the crime scene, and returned it a few days later to Police Headquarters at Eve Leary.
However, Kissoon’s opinion of Nigel Hughes and his memory of this event differ drastically now from a letter he wrote to Stabroek News which was published on April 12, 2003, in which he called for Nigel Hughes to “resign his leadership role in the Guyana Bar Association”. In that letter, “Did Mr Hughes commit an offence?”, Frederick Kissoon wrote, “I believe a lawyer can argue that it has to be proven under the Criminal Act that Mr. Hughes meant to defeat the course of justice. But the law is no fool. Anyone could be allowed to take away evidence and innocently claim that they were acting in the best interest of the murdered victim. Surely the law cannot be that stupid to assume that persons can take away evidence from a crime scene with good intentions.” He continued, “… The fact that Mr. Hughes kept the tape for three days, he opens himself to diverse types of suspicion. It is reasonable for a curious mind to ask if the tape was tampered with. Two senior policemen and a well placed journalist told me that the tape was altered.” He then concluded, “Now what is my opinion? I have read the Criminal Law Act (Offences) and it is clear to me that Chap. 8:01 applies to what Mr. Hughes did at the gas station. Here are the relevant passages.
329 – Anyone who conspires with any person to obstruct, prevent, pervert, or defeat the course of justice shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and liable to imprisonment for two years.
330 – Anyone who willfully attempts in any way, though not otherwise criminal, to obstruct, prevent, pervert, or default the course of justice or the administration of the law, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and liable to imprisonment for one year.”
Editor, it is obvious that Frederick Kissoon in April of 2003, thought Attorney Nigel Hughes broke the law, and was unfit to be in any leadership role in the Guyana Bar Association. Yet then, he chastised the former President for saying Hughes will never be appointed Senior Counsel under his watch. No doubt, Nigel Hughes is brilliant lawyer. He has to be brilliant to successfully defend one of the accused gunmen charged with the brutal murders of 11 innocent parents and children during the 2008 Lusignan massacare. But how does Kissoon justify calling for Hughes’ resignation then, and referring to him now as a lawyer “who has shown phenomenal ability in jurisprudence”; “a fine Guyanese lawyer”; and using adjectives like “integrity” and “huge credibility” to describe this man he said should resign his leadership position in the Guyana Bar Association?
Obviously, Freddie did not always “love” Nigel Hughes, neither did he “always” see him the same way as he makes his readers believe.
It would appear the hypocrisy of Freddie Kissoon has no limit.
There is a popular saying amoung Guyanese that, “A liar should have a good memory”.
Freddie Kissoon’s memory is obviously very short, if not, he has perfected the art of lying to his readers.