To the Guyanese public and the Honourable Justice Navindra Singh, Acting Chief Justice of Guyana:
I, K.A. Juman-Yassin, S.C., hereby unreservedly retract and apologize for statements made by me in my letter published under the title “In the absence of any other information, I have come to the conclusion that a plan was hatched by the gov’t to have Justice Cummings-Edwards removed as Chancellor,” which appeared in Stabroek News on December 31, 2025.
Upon further reflection and after being made aware of the true facts, I acknowledge that several statements and implications in my publication were false and unjustified, and I deeply regret the distress and reputational harm caused to Justice Singh.
Specifically, I retract and apologize for the following:
The assertion and implication that Justice Singh knowingly participated in, acquiesced in, or acted pursuant to an improper executive “plan” designed to influence the administration of justice or the handling of politically sensitive litigation. I now recognize that there is no factual basis for any such allegation, and I did not intend to suggest that Justice Singh was involved in any improper conduct or scheme.
The suggestion that Justice Singh’s appointment as Acting Chief Justice was irregular, improper, or contrary to established judicial norms, including any implication that his elevation was motivated by political considerations or that he was selected to serve an improper executive or partisan purpose. I accept that Justice Singh’s appointment was constitutionally valid and consistent with established practice. I did state that he was given an opportunity to serve as Chief Justice and could not fault him for accepting it.
The allegation that Justice Singh excluded or locked out Justice Roxane George from the Chief Justice’s Chambers, or acted on instructions to do so. I now understand and accept that Justice George was never locked out of the Chambers by Justice Singh or otherwise, and that Justice Singh acted properly and courteously at all times. In fact there was a meeting at 8.30 a.m. on the morning and both Justice George and Justice Singh decided that they would await the decision of His Excellency Irfaan Ali as to the continuation or not of their respective acting appointments and as a result Justice George did not seek to occupy her former chambers.
Any imputation that Justice Singh subordinated his judicial independence or integrity, behaved discourteously or improperly toward a judicial colleague, or placed personal advancement above constitutional duty and the rule of law. I recognize that these insinuations were wholly unfounded.
I sincerely apologize to Justice Singh for the distress, embarrassment, and reputational injury that may have been caused by my statements. I further apologize to the Judiciary and the public for any undermining of confidence in the administration of justice that may have resulted from my publication.
I undertake to refrain from making any further statements of this nature and to ensure that this retraction and apology is published with the same prominence as the original publication.