THE Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL) has become a microcosm of the country’s economic distress – victims of the former Coalition Government’s mismanagement, irresponsibility and overt and covert corrupt practices.

The consequences of the foregoing redounding to the detriment of the media entity is over $6 billion in lawsuits filed against the newspapers for libellous news items published under the auspices of the APNU+AFC Government-appointed, unprofessional management team and the oversight of the Coalition’s board of directors.
The PPP/C-appointed board, post-elections of August 2, 2020 and chaired by Dr Yog Mahadeo, reported to the Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy, that the GNNL was in a financial deficit with a non-operating cash flow to meet immediate needs.

According to Minister McCoy, “These lawsuits all relate to irresponsible reporting, reckless and careless directions from the former board members, general managers and Editor-in-Chief. Not only are we faced with these lawsuits, we are also faced with the additional costs of legal representation as these matters go to court.”
Minister McCoy, the minister in charge of information posited that former Coalition government-appointed general-managers, namely Ganesh Mahipaul and Sherod Duncan, have endangered not only the viability of the company, but also the livelihoods of its employees.

Since the appointment of the new management team and board of directors, their primary focus is on strategising on cost-recovery initiatives in efforts to restore viability to the company.
However, the lawsuits have severely impacted the fiscal dynamics of the GNNL and the board and management have been forced to evaluate the editorial personnel in an effort to restore professionalism to the team of reporters, so as to make the newspaper more balanced and credible in its news coverage and consequently more marketable to advertisers, while rendering its mandatory service to the people of Guyana – credible information dissemination.

The award by Justice Sandil Kissoon last Friday of $27.5M to the owner of SleepIn Group of Hotels, Clifton Bacchus, for a defamation of character lawsuit filed against former Guyana Chronicle Editor-in-Chief (EiC), Nigel Williams and GNNL; and Pasha Global Inc. and Yokohama Trading Guyana Inc., who were each awarded $12.5M in damages, is merely a forerunner of more libel suits filed against GNNL

The lawsuits brought against GNNL – printers and publishers of the Guyana Chronicle — and Williams by Bacchus, together with Pasha Global Inc. and Yokohama Trading Guyana Inc. were for the publication of an article on August 15, 2017.
Deemed offensive, the front-page headline screamed in bold letters: “Tracking the money… Sleepin boss, associate snared in money laundering probe… SOCU tells Gaming Authority investigation on since 2016.”

Subsequently, in an ongoing attack denouncing the operations of the business entities and the persons identified therein as criminal, in pages two and eight of the August 17, 2017 edition of the newspaper, Williams is accused of publishing, or causing to be published an article boldly headlined, “The Dutch Connection… Sleepin Casino Surinamese partner was jailed for money laundering… Bacchus quizzed about permission to import slot machines.”

It was no surprise that Williams, according to a memo, received millions in a payout toward a retroactive gratuity that was signed off and approved by the then subject Minister Moses Nagamootoo post the no-confidence motion that toppled the APNU+AFC Government.

Sherod Duncan as acting general manager, also acted in contravention of tender board regulations of the corporation and spent, or illegally authorised spending of in excess of $5 million.
Duncan also received cash advances for overseas and local travel and related expenses for which he has not provided supporting documents to verify large expenditure. He is also being accused of honouring in the breach the company’s personnel policy and procedures manual in the recruitment, termination and dismissal of several employees.
Duncan has also allegedly made payouts to persons with no proper invoicing nor provision of receipts.

Given all of the foregoing, it would be worthy to examine the payout to Williams and the sums allegedly misappropriated by Sherod Duncan. A recovery of the funds will go toward settlement of the law suits – those already awarded; and the impending ones for which they are culpable.