The hearing of the civil proceedings, filed by PPP Presidential Candidate, Irfaan Ali, to challenge the 19 fraud charges laid against him, has been delayed to allow for time for submissions to be made.

The matter was called in the Chambers of Justice Franklyn Holder on Tuesday, and the parties were given seven days to file their written submissions, and the matter will be called again on May 29, for oral submissions.

Ali brought the matter to the High Court after he was charged with 19 counts of fraud last November. The charges read that between 2010 and 2015, Ali conspired with persons unknown to defraud the Government of Guyana when he acted recklessly in presenting the value of 19 plots of state land situated at Plantation Sparendaam and Goedverwagting, East Coast Demerara, and sold the said lands at grossly undervalued prices without first obtaining a valuation to determine their true value. The defraud amount totaled $174M.
The criminal trial at the Magistrate’s Court has been put on hold, pending the outcome of this fixed date application filed at the High Court.