Attorney at law and chartered accountant Christopher Ram has filed a $100,000,000 suit against Guyana Times and its editor, following the publication of at least nine articles, which he said smeared his character.
Acting Chief Justice Ian Chang has since granted an injunction restraining the newspaper from publishing any similar articles. A hearing has been set for November 28, when the defendants Guyana Times Inc and Nigel Williams are to make an appearance.
In the affidavit, which was prepared and filed by Senior Counsel Rex Mc Kay and attorneys Neil Boston, Bettina Glasford and Brenden Glasford, Ram stated that during the month of October the defendants published or caused to be published articles, including some with photographs, in the Guyana Times newspaper. The offending articles, according to Ram’s affidavit, were published on October 8, 11, 12, 14 and 16.
According to the affidavit, the articles linked Ram to Guyana Stores Limited (GSL) and its non-compliance with the Companies Act, 1991 and attempted to tarnish his accounting skills.
Ram said that on October 18, his attorneys wrote to the defendants complaining of the said libel, and also made four demands to be met by the defendants on the articles that were published. “To date no response has been received to that letter,” he said in the affidavit adding that on October 31, the Guyana Times again carried an offensive article with his name in the headline and which was published on the front page. Ram said his photograph also accompanied the story.
He said some of the words and phrases used to describe him in their natural and ordinary meaning, were understood to mean, “That I am incompetent and unfit to retain my occupation in the profession of accounting and auditing; that I might have been guilty of a criminal offence due to greed and complicity; that I am a tax evader and that I am a hypocrite and/or dishonest”.
According to Ram, by reason of the said publications he has been severely injured in “my credit, character and reputation and in the way of my profession as a professional accountant, financial analyst, Attorney-at-law and Managing Partner of Ram and McRae, Chartered Accountants”.
He said that in the circumstances he has filed an action against the defendants for damages in excess of $100,000,000 for libel contained and published by the defendants of and concerning him in the series of articles. He said that in the circumstances he was also asking for an injunction restraining the defendants and each of them by themselves, their directors, their servants or agents or otherwise from further printing, circulating or distributing the said or any similar libel.
Ram stated that having regard to the “hostility” shown towards him by the defendants, by publishing the purported articles with such “bold headlines, the fact that they are the publishers of such grave libel against men and control the publication of letters and news real or purported, I fear the defendants have shown that unless restrained by this honorable court they have declared an intention and will continue to publish or cause to be published the said or any similar words and allegations against me.”
