…over GuyOil report alleging corruption

MINISTER of Finance, Winston Jordan, has filed legal actions against the Editor-in-Chief of Kaieteur News Adam Harris and its publisher – the National Media and Publishing Company Limited for damages in excess of $100M for libel.

In filing a Statement of Claim in the High Court, the Finance Minister, through his attorney, Roysdale Forde, explained that, on October 18, 2019, Kaieteur News published an article headlined ‘Terminate a monster in its shell or it will come back to haunt you,” in which it portrayed the Finance Minister as corrupt and immoral. In the article, it was alleged that the Finance Minister corruptly influenced a decision to terminate a contract between “the Trinidadian Company” and Guyoil.

For the article printed in the Kaieteur Newspaper, the Finance Minister is suing for damages in excess of $50M for Libel and another $50M for damages caused due to a letter published on Kaieteur News platform carrying similar content.

Added to that, Jordan has asked the High Court to issue a mandatory injunction compelling Harris and the National Media and Publishing Company Limited to permanently remove the defamatory article from the Kaieteur News newspaper edition of the 18th day of October, 2019.

The Finance Minister has also asked to court to grant interest at a rate of 6 % per annum from the date of filing to the date of Judgment and thereafter at a rate of 4 % per annum from the date of Judgment until fully paid.

In justifying his application, Minister Jordan told the court that reasonable readers, upon reading the article, would conclude that he (the Claimant) required a bribe and caused or conspired with others to require or request a bribe.

Added to that, he said that readers would have concluded that if a bribe was paid to the him, a contract between “the Trinidadian Company” and Guyoil would not have been terminated.

“The effect of the aforesaid publications seems calculated to affect the Claimant, in his capacity as a Minister in the Government, with a view to lowering him in the estimation of right-thinking persons in society, render him the subject of disapproval and rejection by the citizens of Guyana and to negatively affect the Claimant’s creditability, character and reputation,” Minister Jordan told the Court, through his Attorney.

According to the Minister, at no time, did the newspaper or its Editor-in-Chief contacted him to obtain a response to the allegations. Since the article was published, the Finance Minister and his family have been bombarded with inquiries. “On and from the 18th day of October, 2019, to present, the Claimant, his wife and family were inundated with phone calls, text messages, facebook messages, emails and whatsapp messages concerning or related to the articles and the truthfulness and/or veracity of the claims made by the Respondents,” he reported.

It was further stated that “from the 18th day of October, 2019, up to the present times, scores of persons, including the friends, family, colleagues, prominent members of the business, Government Ministers and officials brought the claims made by the Respondents and were posted online and published by the Respondents to the Claimant and his wife’s attention and have sought information regarding same.”

Forde told the Court that the Finance Minister’s personal and professional reputation and standing have been irreparably and severely damaged. “The Claimant and his family have suffered and continue to suffer financial injury, constant grave distress, humiliation, embarrassment, indignity, pain and suffering,” he added.

Forde made it clear that the contents of the article and letter have no basis in fact, and as such, are malicious, grossly inaccurate and intended to deceive the public.
Out of concern, the Finance Minister, on October 23, 2019, sent the publisher of Kaieteur News a letter requesting a retraction and an apology of the said defamatory and malicious statements. In response, an apology was published in the Kaieteur News on October 25, 2019.

On November 1, 2019, another letter was sent, this time, demanding charges for defamation as a result of the aforesaid publications. To date no response to the letter issued on November 1, 2019 has been received from the respondents.