– stresses importance of transparency
In a unanimous ruling, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on Thursday dismissed an appeal filed by political commentator and activist Ramon Gaskin, who for years had contended that separate environmental permits ought to have been granted to Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd (Hess) and China National Offshore Oil Cooperation Guyana (CNOOC) for their involvement in oil production here.
In affirming the rulings of both the local high and appellate courts, however, the Trinidad-based CCJ—Guyana’s final appellate court—was clear in pointing out that as “developer” of the specific “project” undertaken, it was only ExxonMobil which needed to have been licensed and not Hess and CNOOC as well.
This was a pronouncement repeatedly made by the lower courts and emphasised on Thursday by the five judges constituting the panel which heard Gaskin’s challenge in Trinidad.
