…over US$1M spent on legal fees

The Government of Guyana will present evidence in July 2025 to counter a US$100 million lawsuit brought by a Mexican company, Smart City Solutions (SCS). The lawsuit stems from the controversial and ultimately defunct parking meter project initiated in 2016 under the previous Alliance for Chance + A Partnership for National Unity (APNU+AFC) government.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, disclosed this on Saturday during his ministry’s end-of-year press conference. He said the case is currently ongoing at the International Centre for Settlement of Investments Disputes (ICSID) in Washington DC, United States. ICSID is an international arbitration institution established in 1966 for legal dispute resolution and conciliation between international investors and countries. ICSID is part of and funded by the World Bank Group, which is headquartered in Washington DC.

Providing an update on the lawsuit, Nandlall said: “We have a team of lawyers representing our interests both in the United States and here in Guyana. The hearings in the matter have been ongoing, and in July 2025, we are expected to lead evidence in defence of the claim.

“That’s the liability we [People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government] inherited, and in many, many cases, we have been shouldered with this type of liability,” he emphasised.
It was previously reported that lawyers from the United States law firm, Foley Hoag are representing Guyana’s interest. According to Nandlall, the government has already spent approximately US$1 million in legal fees as part of its efforts to prepare a robust defence.

Nandlall stated that testimonies are being sought from key stakeholders, including former Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase-Green, under whose tenure the parking meter project was implemented. However, he noted that lawyers have encountered difficulties in obtaining a statement from her. He emphasised that the legal team believes her testimony would be valuable.

In 2016, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC), under then-Mayor Patricia Chase-Green and then-Town Clerk Royston King, signed a contract with SCS to implement a parking meter system in Georgetown while the APNU+AFC David Granger-led coalition government was in office. Installations were happening throughout the capital city, as well as staff training for the new parking meter regime. However, the initiative faced immediate backlash and saw massive protests against its implementation. Citizens contended then that the fees were too high and placed undue financial burden on the populace. Others argued that the awarding of the contract lacked transparency. Public pressure forced a suspension of the project.

Throughout the process, however, the PPP/C, while in opposition, argued against the awarding of the contract and rolling out of the parking meter system. SCS subsequently sued the government of Guyana for millions of dollars in damages for the non-implementation of the project.