Former President Donald Ramotar was yesterday afternoon granted a temporary injunction by High Court judge Sandil Kissoon against the Kaieteur News and Kaieteur Radio, which he has sued for in excess of $40 million for what he contends were defamatory publications and broadcasts targeting him.
The injunction restrains the Kaieteur News and Kaieteur Radio from publishing or broadcasting any statement whatsoever of and concerning Ramotar which suggests or tend to suggests or convey the impression that he is engaged in, connected to, associated with, involved in malpractice and/or stole money whatsoever and howsoever.
Ramotar’s lawsuit argues that the media outlets commenced a series of publications about the investigation by the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) into oil blocks that were awarded during his tenure as President.
According to Ramotar, on May 31st he issued a press statement addressing the issues raised, but he said that while the statement was extensively carried by other media houses, the defendants refused to publish it.
He added that in spite of that statement, the defendants commenced publications and broadcasts in the “Kaieteur News” and on “Kaieteur Radio Today” which were defamatory to him and done to cause injury to his “character and good reputation.”
On this point, Ramotar, through his attorney, Anil Nandlall, said that the Kaieteur News falsely and maliciously carried an innuendo and published “boldly and sensationally” what he described as a full page article with the blazing headline “Wake up Guyana!!!.”
Ramotar said that the article sought to compare him and former Senegalese President, Abdoulaye Wade.
Photographs of Wade and him, he said, were included in the inset of a photograph depicting “alleged stolen oil blocks in Senegal and Guyana.”
Ramotar, in his suit, said that thereafter the newspaper continued to cause injury to his reputation by further falsely and maliciously publishing two cartoons, “which any reasonable person would come to the conclusion” were referring to bandits.
The former president said that that article had his face published in the inset of a picture showing the alleged stolen oil blocks and used the name, “Donald,” which any reasonable person would conclude was referring to him.
Ramotar contends in his affidavit that the article is highly defamatory and it uses the innuendo in a manner that ensures any reasonable person would come to the conclusion that he stole US$100 million.
He said that the Kaieteur News repeatedly published and broadcasted a plethora of other articles defamatory in nature against him and which suggested that while he served as president, he engaged in activities to deprive Guyanese of newly discovered oil fortune and that he “gave away lucrative oil blocks to companies he and or his family were in control of.”
According to Ramotar, the publications also seek to insinuate that he sold the oil blocks and as a result “stole US$100M from the Guyanese population.”
The claimant is seeking damages in excess of $40 million for libel together with exemplary/aggravated damages, along with interest and court costs to be borne by Kaieteur News and any further order the court may deem fit to grant.
The former president has also given an undertaking that if the injunction sought is subsequently determined to have been wrongly granted, he will compensate the news agency “in respect of all or any damages/costs he may have suffered as a result of the grant of the said injunction.”
