ATTORNEY GENERAL and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams has rejected a front page headline which appeared in the Friday edition of Kaieteur News about an alleged deal between prominent businessman Brian Tiwari and the Government.The headline in question read: “Haags Bosch dumpsite controversy, BK gets $1billion settlement with Govt”, but on pages 3 and 28, the headline of the same story read “BK wins $1B settlement with Govt.”

The “Dem boys seh…” column also carried a headline: “Soulja Bai getting jook in ee eye”, which appeared on page 10 of the said publication.

These articles relate to an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)-funded contract known as “Haags Bosch”, entered on November 20, 2009 with the former Government.

The Attorney General’s Chambers, in a release, said myriad problems had developed with the contract over the years, and the former Government belatedly terminated the contract on February 27, 2015.
Consequently, Tiwari filed an action in the High Court, challenging the termination. The Attorney General’s Chambers represented the Ministry of Local Government (now Ministry of Communities) in that action.

On November 26, 2015, the then Chief Justice (ag), Justice Ian Chang SC, CCH, ruled that the termination of the contract by the former Government was not correctly done. The effect of this decision was that the contract continued, and Tiwari could remain on site, the Attorney General Chambers said.

On December 30, 2015, the Attorney General caused a Notice of Appeal and an Application for a Stay to be filed against the said decision; and talks were entered into with Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan and his team, Brian Tiwari and his team and Attorney General Basil Williams and his team with a view to resolving this matter, since the work on the Haags Bosch dumpsite was at a standstill and the stench and smoke from fires on the dumpsite were affecting the surrounding communities.

The Attorney General’s Chambers explained that, in the course of talks, permission was sought from Cabinet, and granted, to negotiate a settlement with a view to ending the contractual relationship with Tiwari and having his company exit the dumpsite.

The chamber added: “Negotiations have commenced, and are not yet complete. Moreover, any proposed settlement would have to return to Cabinet for approval. In light of the foregoing, it is evident that the said articles are erroneous, malicious and vexatious, and (are) designed to sully the good name of the Attorney General, his officers, the Ministry of Legal Affairs, and the Government of Guyana. We therefore demand an apology from the publishers of the Kaieteur News.”