Brazen disregard for judicial process is troubling — Indranie Chandarpal — Opinion

Brazen disregard for judicial process is troubling

October 17, 2026·2 min read

Dear Editor,

On October 5, 2026, Daniel Seeram was convicted and was ordered to be placed on remand for assaulting his former spouse and causing actual bodily harm back on September 11, 2023.^[1] Coming some three years after the originating complaint, it should be noted that this incident was not the first of its kind between Seeram and his former spouse. On this occasion, he was convicted and remanded to prison pending sentencing scheduled for November 2, 2026.

Seeram made an application for bail stating, among other things, that he has a weekly meeting with his supervisor and being remanded would interfere with his work. The Magistrate denied the application and issued the necessary warrant to the Police for Seeram to be handed over to the care of the Guyana Prison Service. A process that has been completed thousands of times by the Guyana Police Force. But for reasons not fully explained, the Police did not execute the orders of the court.

Daniel Seeram then approached the High Court through his attorney for a judicial review to question the authority of the Magistrate to place him on remand.^[2] According to media reports, the State was represented by no less a person than the Deputy Solicitor General from the Attorney General’s Office, who appeared before the High Court in support of Mr Seeram’s challenge to the Magistrate’s ruling.^[3]

It should be noted here that it is customary for the State to represent the Judicial Officer in such matters. In this case, the Magistrate was not even afforded the right of reply.^[4] In its wisdom, the High Court, however, found no fault and upheld the ruling of the Magistrate.

What is particularly troubling is that the Guyana Police Force not only flouted the Magistrate’s order, but they also failed again to comply with the court’s order to place Seeram in custody once the High Court upheld the order with any urgency. The Women & Gender Equality Commission is astonished and distressed at the flagrant disregard for established judicial process.

For the past 15-plus years, the Commission has done extensive work throughout the length and breadth of Guyana to educate the public, women in particular, that intimate partner violence and indeed all forms of family violence must not be tolerated and that all perpetrators should be put before the courts.

The Commission works hard to persuade the public that the State and Judiciary have been trained and stand ready to respond to complaints and incidents of such violence. This case, unfortunately, puts all of this into question and reinforces the view that justice is not for all. This case raises the very question of everyone’s equality under the law and undermines all that work, since this case is so public and involves a senior officer of the Government. We are now confronted by what can be characterised as a mockery of the said process.

It is no wonder that the public and persons who are victims of abuse do not believe they can expect a just outcome, especially when the perpetrator holds a position of power or is perceived to retain the backing of the powerful. The beating of one’s spouse is a serious matter. We therefore call upon the relevant agencies in this case to explain the rationale of their actions given their mandate.

Yours sincerely,
Indranie Chandarpal
Chairperson
Women & Gender
Equality Commission

References

Daniel Seeram loses High Court bail challenge for assault conviction - Kiskadee Watch — kiskadeewatch.com ↩
Seeram still to be handed over to prison authorities despite High Court's dismissal of judicial review - News Source Guyana — newssourcegy.com ↩
Gender Equality Commission slams handling of Seeram remand order – The Big Smith News Watch — bigsmithnewswatch.news ↩
High Court refuses Seeram's request for judicial review on being remanded after found guilty in assault case - News Source Guyana — newssourcegy.com ↩

Source

Brazen disregard for judicial process is troubling in Guyana Times, October 17, 2026

Seeram still to be handed over to prison authorities despite High Court's dismissal of judicial review - News Source Guyana

newssourcegy.com · 2026-10-06

Seeram still to be handed over to prison authorities despite High Court's dismissal of judicial review - News Source Guyana # Seeram still to be handed over to prison authorities despite High Court’s dismissal of judicial review By News Source Guyana on October 6, 2026 National Border Patrol Director, Daniel Seeram is still to be handed over to prison authorities even after the High Court upheld a Magistrates’ Court decision for him to be remanded to prison pending his sentencing on an assault conviction in November. The Acting Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliott, refused to offer any information on the issue when contacted. However, other senior Prison Officials confirmed that Seeram had not yet been handed over by the Police. News Source understands that Seeram remains in Police custody. The former Region 4 Chairman was convicted last Friday of assaulting his ex-wife in September 2023, and remanded to prison pending his sentencing on November 2. On Monday, his attempt to secure pre-sentencing bail failed when High Court Judge Joy Persaud-Singh upheld the decision by Magistrate Abigail Gibbs in the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Court to remand Seeram to prison. Seeram was being held at the Sparendaam Police Station on the East Coast of Demerara pending Monday’s hearing. However, he was expected to be handed over to prison authorities following Monday’s ruling. Asked repeatedly by News Source whether Seeram was handed over to the Prison Service, the Director declined to respond, instead redirecting the question to the Prison’s Public Relations Officer, Rajiv Bisnauth. Bisnauth, when contacted, also declined to comment on the issue. The Leader of the Opposition, Azruddin Mohamed, in a post on social media last evening contended that Seeram was not in prison. “I am standing at the Lusignan Prison confirming through prison officers that he is not here. I will shortly head to Camp Street Prison to make further checks. Prison Officers have confirmed that wife beater Daniel is not here neither. So, he is not at Lusignan and he is not at Camp Street Prison. This is a slap in the face of every domestic violence victim during this domestic violence month,” Mohamed said. Mohamed accused the PPP/C Administration of having a history of protecting abusers and fraudsters. “Our sources within the Guyana Prison Service say this is only the second time in their 22 years of service that they know of, where a person was remanded and never made it to jail. The first was Kevin Lorrimer, who was sentenced to nine months for fraud but never spent a day in prison. This is what happens when there is no separation of powers. This happens when the Executive meddles in the Judiciary, when the Courts cannot function independently. Court orders mean nothing in this country anymore,” the Opposition Leader said. There were reports that Seeram was allowed to leave the Police station over the weekend, but his Attorney said he was unaware of any such action. Justice Persaud-Singh, in dismissing Seeram’s application for Judicial Review said there was no indication that Magistrate Gibbs acted unlawfully, irrationally or outside of her jurisdiction.

Gender Equality Commission slams handling of Seeram remand order – The Big Smith News Watch

bigsmithnewswatch.news · 2026-10-16

However, the Commission said the police failed to execute the order, prompting Seeram to approach the High Court through his attorney to challenge the Magistrate’s authority to remand him. The Commission also questioned the State’s representation during the judicial review proceedings. Citing media reports, it said a Deputy Solicitor General from the Attorney General’s Chambers appeared in support of Seeram’s challenge to the Magistrate’s ruling. ... noted that the ... understood it to be customary for the State to represent the judicial officer in such matters and expressed concern that the Magistrate was not afforded the right of reply. Although the High Court upheld the Magistrate’s ruling, the Commission said the police again failed to comply with the order to place Seeram in custody with urgency. ... Mr. Daniel Seeram then approached the High Court through his attorney for a Judicial Review to question the authority of the Magistrate to place him on remand. According to media reports, the State was represented by no less a person than the Deputy Solicitor General from the Attorney General’s Office, appeared before the High Court in support of Mr. Seeram’s challenge to the Magistrate’s ruling. It should be noted here, that it is customary for the State to represent the Judicial Officer in such matters. In this case, the Magistrate was not even afforded the Right of Reply. In its wisdom, the High Court however, found no fault and upheld the ruling of the Magistrate. What is particularly troubling is that the Guyana Police Force not only flouted the Magistrate’s order, they failed again to comply with the Court’s order to place Mr. Seeram in custody once the High Court upheld the order with any urgency. The Women & Gender Equality Commission is astonished and distressed at the flagrant disregard for established Judicial process.