JUSTICE Navindra Singh of the Demerara High Court recently dismissed former Deputy Chief Election Officer (DCEO) Roxanne Myers’s defamation lawsuit against Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo and News Room (the defendants).

Myers was also ordered to pay $1 million in costs. She had filed a Statement of Claim in 2021 seeking $100,000,000 in damages against Dr. Jagdeo, who she claimed defamed her in an interview on March 5, 2020 which was broadcast by News Room.
At that time, he was the Leader of the Opposition. Myers had sued the news agency for $50,000,000 for publishing the interview on its website and social media pages.
Myers’ complaint centered on remarks made by Dr. Jagdeo during what she claimed was a 15-minute interview with the News Room about the March 2, 2020 elections.
Detailing the basis of her lawsuit, Myers alleged that Dr. Jagdeo made slanderous and defamatory comments following the election, which were false, malicious, and intended to damage her reputation.

According to court documents, Myers asserted that these statements implied she had “acted illegally, corruptly,” and exceeded her authority as DCEO.
She further alleged that Dr. Jagdeo and the News Room explicitly accused her of attempting to unlawfully influence the outcome of the election results for Electoral District Four/Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), holding the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairperson, retired Justice Claudette Singh hostage, and exercising control over High Court Marshals.
News Room and the Vice-President defended the statements by arguing that they were true, honest opinions, privileged, or fair comments because they addressed topics of public concern. Judge Singh accepted their arguments, concluding that the remarks lacked defamatory connotations and that Dr. Jagdeo had established the defence of truth.
By September 12, 2024, Myers must pay $500,000 in costs to Dr. Jagdeo and an additional $500,000 to News Room. Myers was represented by attorney Eusi Anderson, and Dr. Jagdeo and the News Room were represented by attorneys-at-law Natasha Vieira and Abhimanyu Dev.
Myers is one of nine defendants currently on trial at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for allegedly conspiring to defraud the electorate during the March 2020 elections.
The trial is set to continue on September 17, 2024, before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly.