Attorney Raphael Trotman, a member of Guyana’s legal fraternity, former Speaker of the National Assembly and former minister in the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) administration, is calling on Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary Roxane George-Wiltshire to make representations on behalf of High Court Justice Gino Persaud amid reports that the judge’s United States visa has been placed “under review.”
Trotman made the call in a post on X- formerly Twitter- following reports that Persaud encountered difficulties while attempting to travel to Jamaica via United States, for the Commonwealth Magistrates’ and Judges’ Association (CMJA) Annual Conference.
News Source reported that Persaud was informed that his U.S. visa was under review and advised to visit the American Embassy in Georgetown. The judge was reportedly unaware of any issue with his visa, having travelled to the United States several months earlier without incident.
Trotman described the development as “deeply troubling” and said the Acting Chancellor should make representations on Persaud’s behalf. He also noted that other judges may have encountered similar challenges in Guyana’s post-independence history.
Trotman brings extensive parliamentary and governmental experience to the intervention. He served as Speaker of the 10th Parliament, beginning in 2012, and subsequently served as Minister of Governance and Minister of Natural Resources under the APNU+AFC administration.
Persaud will be attending the CMJA conference in Kingston, Jamaica, from September 20–24, under the theme “Sustainable Justice: For Today, For Tomorrow, For All.” The conference agenda includes discussions on judicial independence, the rule of law, judicial accountability, judicial bullying and harassment, threats against judges, access to justice and judicial integrity. A major session specifically examines “Current tensions between Judicial Independence and the Rule of Law.”
The CMJA says its conferences are intended to promote greater understanding of judicial independence issues across Commonwealth jurisdictions, increase awareness of international law relating to access to justice and strengthen professional networking among judicial officers.
The reported U.S. visa review remains unexplained publicly. There is no established evidence that the review is connected to Persaud’s judicial decisions, and a visa review should not automatically be interpreted as a revocation.
Persaud is expected to seek clarification from the American Embassy in Georgetown, while Trotman’s call places attention on whether the Guyanese Judiciary will make representations concerning the High Court judge and the circumstances surrounding his reported visa review.
