Attorney-General challenges predecessor –to say why Rudisa, TCL were not paid

ATTORNEY-General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams has accused his predecessor, Anil Nandlall, of failing to address the real issue, which is the non-payment of Surinamese company, Rudisa Beverages, and Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) Nandlall, reacting to AG Williams recent revelations of the former Government’s failure to pay monies owed the two companies, had responded in sections of the media saying that the present Government is to be blamed for that.
In the previous Administration’s defence, he said the debts were incurred for the simple reason that Guyana failed to get, in the National Assembly, the then Opposition’s support in amending its laws to bring them into conformity with the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.
But AG Williams would have none of this. He felt that the former Attorney-General was simply dodging the issue. “I did not claim not to have knowledge of something that passed through the House, and I am not sure why he is skittering the issue,” he said, adding: “The issue is that he did not pay the judgement of over US$6M, which judgement is attracting interest at four per cent.”
Noting that he has in his possession a Cabinet ‘memo’ approving the payment, Williams said: “When Cabinet approved of (that) payment, why would that payment not be made? And that is the issue the former Attorney-General has to address.”

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) had ruled in favour of both Rudisa and TCL in two separate court proceedings. In the rulings, the then Government was ordered to pay Rudisa Beverages G$1.8B, and TCL close to G$57M.
The ruling in favour of TCL was in regard to the imposition by Guyana, in 1995, of an environmental levy, or tax, in the sum of $10 on all non-returnable beverage containers imported into Guyana, which the beverage company felt was discriminatory, and amounted to a violation of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC) passed into law in Guyana in 2006.
TCL’s claims were due to the Guyana Government’s unilateral waiver of a 15% Common External Tariff (CET) on cement imports being dealt with in accordance with Article 222 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and Part 10 of the Caribbean Court of Justice (Original Jurisdiction) Rules of 2006.
AG Williams had revealed in the House the former Government’s failure to pay the monies owed to the regional companies. He had also said that he was unaware of the reasons behind the failure to pay the dues. (GINA)

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