Former Deputy Chief Election Officer Roxanne Myers’ defamation suits against Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Lenox Shuman, PPP/C Member of Parliament Sanjeev Datadin and ministerial advisor Dr. Leslie Ramsammy are due to proceed after a judge yesterday denied their applications to stay the proceedings pending criminal charges against her.
In a statement for Myers, her attorney Eusi Anderson said Justice Navindra Singh refused the applications to stay the proceedings, through which Myers is seeking damages in excess of GYD$450 million.
Vice President Jagdeo was represented by Devindra Kissoon, Shuman and Datadin by Donovan Rangiah and Ramsammy by Satram and Associates.
The statement said Jagdeo, Datadin, Shuman and Ramsammy alleged that Myers was misconducting herself in public office in respect of the March 2020 General and Regional elections—which formed the basis of her multimillion-dollar defamation claims against them.
Anderson submitted argued that the defamation suits had no bearing on the criminal proceedings. He also pointed out that the criminal matters which commenced in October 2020 have been inordinately delayed by the prosecution’s appeals of Magistrate Leron Daly’s ruling to conduct a preliminary investigation into the charges of misconduct in public office.
The statement said Jagdeo, Datadin, Shuman and Ramsammy through their attorneys argued that the stay was necessary because Myers had to first win her criminal case in the Magistrate’s Court before coming to the High Court to seek monetary compensation for their alleged defamation of her character.
However, Justice Singh ruled that fairness and justice dictates that Myers be given an opportunity to have her defamation claims proceed irrespective of the outcome of the criminal trials she faces. Justice Singh further ruled that since the criminal proceedings are nowhere near commencement, he would proceed with case management of all the defamation matters on March 3, 2023.
Myers’ claim against Jagdeo is based on statements he made outside of the Guyana Elections Commission’s Command Centre at Hadfield and High Streets, Georgetown on March 5, 2020 and published by News Room.
Her claim against Datadin is based on statements he made in an interview on March 6, 2020 at Hadfield and High Streets, Georgetown and published by News Room.
Myers’ suit against Shuman is based on comments published in the news article “Jimmy James no longer willing to serve in capacity as an LJP representative,” in the Guyana Times on January 22, 2021.
Myers’ claim against Ramsammy is based on allegations contained in an article titled “Ramsammy’s Ruminations: Caricom, ABCE, Commonwealth, OAS – time for sanctions now, no more patience,” published in the Guyana Times on March 18, 2020.
