Former president Bharrat Jagdeo has abandoned a lawsuit that he brought against Stabroek News over eight years ago.
Jagdeo moved to the court weeks after the February 7, 2004, article, “PPP meet went well – Ramjattan,” was published and sought over $50,000 for damages and pecuniary compensation for alleged libel. He also sought a restraining order barring the repeat of alleged offensive words that were used.
The defendants were named as Guyana Publications Inc. (the publishers of the Stabroek News) and then editor Anand Persaud.
Stabroek News was informed that when the case was called last Friday before Justice Franklyn Holder, the court deemed the matter abandoned. Neither party was present at the hearing.
According to the statement of claim filed by Jagdeo’s lawyers, Senior Counsel Ashton Chase and attorney Priya Manickchand, the news story alleged that Khemraj Ramjattan, who at the time was a central committee member of the PPP, walked out of a central committee meeting after Jagdeo made “accusations” that he had passed information to the US, British and Canadian missions here.
The lawyers argued that the article gave the impression that Jagdeo was a person given to making “reckless and irresponsible allegations” against citizens of this country with implications of liability for them in the criminal law; was a leader who “heedlessly places in jeopardy the sound and continuously developing good relations between Guyana and the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom”; was a leader who “carelessly accuses friendly countries of engaging in undiplomatic activities” which statements have implications for economic and diplomatic support for Guyana’s programmes and creates political instability and increased poverty; and was a person unfit and unsuitable to hold the high office of President of Guyana and is given to besmirching the name of citizens of Guyana and/or of a citizen of Guyana.
The lawyers also argued that by reason of the said publication, Jagdeo had “been injured in his character, credit, office and reputation and has suffered distress and embarrassment”.
It was noted that two days after the article appeared, Jagdeo, in a letter sent by his lawyer, demanded an apology for the publication. On February 12, 2004, Senior Counsel Miles Fitzpatrick, on behalf of the defendants replied to the letter but “failed to offer to the plaintiff an apology as demanded and in fact the defendants have since repeated similar publications of and concerning the plaintiff.” Fitzpatrick in his letter stated that he has advised his client that the statement complained about was not defamatory and was published in good faith.
