THE High Court action filed by two citizens seeking clarity into the authenticity of the qualification antecedents of the People’s Progressive Party /Civic(PPP/C) Presidential Candidate, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, will come up for hearing on February 25,2020.

The case is fixed to be called before Justice Franklin Holder at the Demerara High Court. The application was filed by attorney-at-law Stephen Lewis on behalf of his clients Dianna Deravinee Rajcumar and Phillip Marcus, who are citizens of Guyana and registered voters.
The respondent in the matter is PPP/C General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo and the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). The applicants are seeking a declaration that they are entitled to know the qualification antecedents of Ali.

Another order is that Jagdeo produce Ali’s first degree certificate and transcripts for any first degree, information on the name of the university, or institution from which he obtained his first degree and information concerning the nature of the study completed in relation to any first degree.

The applicants are also seeking information setting out whether Ali was issued with a Certificate of Graduation, which states that it was issued by the Business College, West Demerara Chamber of Commence within seven (7) days of the date of the Order.
Additionally, Jagdeo must also produce, within seven days, a copy of any transcript issued by the said Business College, West Demerara Chamber in respect of a BA Degree in Planning, information in the form of certificates along with transcripts from the University of Sunderland as proof of Ali’s qualifications.

To this background, the applicants are also seeking an order against GECOM to confer the above documents, which was conferred on Ali, which will be examined by them.

The applicants have listed 11 grounds for their application to the High Court. One of the grounds stated is that, that applicants have noted that information concerning the qualification of Ali has been, in some instances, withheld and otherwise is alleged to be false. The applicants observed that in several articles in the daily newspapers where Ali refused to be forthright in his answer to questions and the provision of information surrounding his qualifications. Thus, they are now requesting to seek clarification on his qualifications. On January 29, 2020, the applicant Dianna Deravinee Rajcumar wrote to Jagdeo seeking clarity on Irfaan’s qualification antecedents and requested transcripts as proof. The Applicants are seeking the Order on the ground that consequent of their Constitutional right to vote, they have a right to information on the candidates for the election.

Additionally, consequent on their constitutional right to vote, they are contending that they are entitled to know the educational antecedents of the candidates to access, process and interpret along with others with information, before deciding to vote for a candidate.
The applicants, are contending that with intent to exercise their right to vote, they are entitled to be privy to facts giving insight in the candidate’s capacity and suitability for acting as a President, Parliamentarian or a legislator including details of his/her life educational qualifications.

They are contending that they are entitled to a Constitutional Right to the Freedom of Expression, in particular, to receive ideas and information without interference. Rajcumar is the holder of a Degree in International Relations-University of Guyana (2008), Graduate Diploma in Public Administration- Australia National University(2014), Masters of Public Policy – Australia National University 2015 and Masters of Diplomacy – Australia National University (2016). “I fear that my right to vote and to freedom of expression, in particular, to receive information without interference will be breached if the orders sought herein are not granted,” the applicant said in the court documents.

The PPP/C presidential candidate is allegedly being accused of academic fraud. It is alleged that he used a fake transcript to pursue a master’s degree programme at an Indian University and the University of Sunderland.

Ali is currently before the courts facing 19 charges after he was accused of defrauding the state of some $174M for his role in the notorious Pradoville land-sale scandal. The ex-minister was slapped with 19 counts of fraud last November and the charges were laid indictable.

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 a grossly undervalued price without first obtaining a valuation to determine their true value.

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Caption: Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo (left) and People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Presidential candidate Irfaan Ali