Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) boss Khurshid Sattaur yesterday withdrew a threatening language charge against Kaieteur News publisher Glenn Lall, leading to accusations that he was wasting taxpayers’ money and making a mockery of the judicial system.
When the case was called at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court, Lall pleaded not guilty to the charge and it was subsequently dismissed after Magistrate Alex Moore informed that Sattaur had withdrawn his complaint.
Sattaur had accused Lall of threatening him during a telephone call on August 29.
Lall’s matter was to be called at 9 am but Magistrate Moore announced that “the jacket had faltered on its way to the court” and the case was stood down.
When the matter was eventually called, the charge was read by Magistrate Moore and Lall pleaded not guilty. Lall was then told that the charge was dismissed because Sattaur had withdrawn his complaint and would not be giving any further evidence against him.
Lall left the courtroom bewildered and said the case was a total waste of taxpayers’ money and a mockery of the judicial system. Lall added that he hopes his complaint against Attorney General Anil Nandlall will be pursued with the same vigour by the police and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) as Sattaur’s complaint against him.
Lall’s lawyer, Khemraj Ramjattan, said, “They are trying to drive fear into Lall,” but they have not learned that he is not intimidated by fear. He said the government is desperate to shut a man up whose newspaper has been doing such a wonderful job exposing it.
Lall had said that he was in total disbelief when the charges were filed against him and it was another excuse to shut his daily newspaper up.
‘No public good’
However, in a statement issued yesterday, Sattaur maintained that Lall had threatened him but said that the delay by the DPP in laying charges and the negative attention the case had drawn to the GRA were the reasons why he decided against pursuing the case.
“My decision of not providing further evidence on the matter today, at this juncture, is consistent with the position that I have asked my lawyer, who represented me, to take on the matter that would hopefully see the GRA being removed from the spotlight, as the staff were beginning to feel the fatigue from the excessive public attention that was unwarrantedly given to the current court imbroglio in which the Lalls were charged for criminal offences under the Customs Act,” he said in the statement.
Sattaur added that it appeared from the “protracted time” taken by the DPP in recommending criminal charges against the threats, “there was a perception of some difficulty” in the pursuit of the charges. “Having therefore the concern over the possible negative outcome, and in view of the manner in which this matter has been pursued in the media, more so by certain media houses, in consultation with my lawyers it was decided that no public good can be served to have evidence provided on the matter today and in the foreseeable future,” Sattaur further said.
He said too that the GRA cannot run the risk of again falling prey to “such issues that can result in the situation spiraling out of control from being manipulated on both sides of the divide.”
He added that the GRA has a greater public interest to serve at this point in time in ensuring that it fulfils its mandate in collecting tax revenues for the year.
