Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips says the Executive has no role in determining judicial appointments or how the courts function, despite Guyana’s judiciary continuing to operate without substantive holders of the offices of Chancellor and Chief Justice.

Speaking Wednesday at the swearing-in ceremony for six new magistrates and five Commissioners of Title at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Phillips maintained that the constitutional separation of powers remains a fundamental principle of the Government.

“We do not control the judiciary. We do not determine whom they appoint. We do not determine how they function. The judiciary must remain functionally independent. It is a fundamental constitutional concept which we embrace,” the Prime Minister said.