-orders him to pay $100,000 in costs

SOCIAL media commentator Rickford Burke has been ordered to pay costs to the Minster in the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy, after he failed to prove a $20 million defamation claim.

The ruling was handed down by Justice Fidela Corbin-Lincoln at the Demerara High Court back in December.

The overseas-based Guyanese, who is wanted locally by police for his alleged involvement in a massive extortion plot, had initially commenced the claim against Guyana National Newspaper Limited (GNNL), Minister McCoy and the Guyana National Communication Network (NCN.)

However, GNNL and NCN arrived at a settlement with Burke and a consent order was given. However, Minister McCoy opted for the case to move ahead. He specifically denied the publication of the alleged defamatory statements on “Straight Talk” and on Newsmedia.com.

Both parties were directed to file and serve written submissions; however, only Minster McCoy did so. As such, the matter was not continued under the Civil Procedure Rules 2016.

Lawyers for Minister McCoy had contended that the claim should be dismissed since Burke had failed to prove publication.

In her ruling, Justice Corbin-Lincoln said that the best evidence of the words spoken was the recording. However, Burke did not produce a recording of the programme during which Minister McCoy allegedly made the defamatory statements complained of.

Additionally, the court was of the view that Burke may have conflated the words which he claimed were defamatory.

“I infer from the allegation that the words complained of were posted on a website
and had a caption that the words complained of were in printed form. While the Plaintiff’s witness statement states that a copy of the article was exhibited there was no exhibit attached. The Plaintiff did not tender a copy of the alleged publication on Newsmedia.com at trial,” the judge said in her ruling.

As such, the claim was dismissed and Burke, who is an ally of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), was ordered to pay Minister McCoy the sum of $100,000 in costs.

The Guyana Police Force has issued a wanted bulletin for Burke, in relation to a case of extortion in which two reporters have already been charged.

Burke is wanted for “conspiracy to commit a felony to wit the publication of a defamatory libel in order to extort money.”

Burke was implicated by the two reporters – Gary Eleazar and Alex Wayne – who were released on bail following their court appearance.

He is also wanted for the excitement of hostility or ill-will on the grounds of race in violation of the Racial Hostility Act, sedition, use of a computer system to intimidate in violation of the Cyber Crime Act, seditious libel, inciting the provocation of the breach of peace, and inciting public terror.

Burke’s last known addresses are Brooklyn, New York and Bartica. Anyone who has information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the police on 225-6949, 225-8196, 226-7476, 225-2317, 225-8196, 227-1149 or the nearest police station.