Femi Harris-Smith

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has found that Jamaica—as a CARICOM Member State—has breached provisons of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC) which is intended to protect products manufactured within the region, by imposing a 40% tariff on-like products being imported from external sources.

Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha has filed a $5m libel suit against Leader of the Opposition Aubrey Norton, who he says has accused him of corruption and for which he is seeking a retraction and apology.

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) yesterday ruled that the Guyana Court of Appeal does have jurisdiction to hear an appeal filed by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, who has been trying to challenge a $20m default judgment imposed against him for not filing a defence in time to a defamation suit brought by former government Minister Annette Ferguson.

An application for proof that ExxonMobil has lodged a US$2 billion guarantee which is intended to indemnify Guyana against an oil spill and associated perils, is being resisted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the oil company, which are contending that the court has no jurisdiction to so order.

Despite a ruling by Justice Nareshwar Harnanan in November last year that deductions illegally made from striking Linden nurses in 2021 be repaid by December 31st 2023, the state has not complied and it says it will appeal the decision.

Former machine operator, Deonarine Seetaram of Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara (WCD), is now awaiting sentencing after admitting to the 2019 killing of re-migrant, Mohammed Shameem Hassan.

The Full Court last month ruled that  Scotiabank (Guyana) “negligently misdirected” $28 million paid by Core Investments Inc which was intended as the early extinguishing of a mortgage.

Recognizing the referendum which Venezuela had planned for tomorrow as a seriously “urgent,” “real” and “imminent” threat to the rights which Guyana currently has to the Essequibo, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has issued a warning of refrain to Venezuela.

A carpenter has won his case for pension, after taking the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) to court in what has been hailed as a landmark ruling that pronounced on the obligation of the NIS and the employer for the maintenance of accurate and complete records.

Alexander La Cruz and Mark Welch—the two men who pleaded guilty to the murder of Westminster phone card vendor Ron Mansfield back in 2018—have been sentenced to 13 and 14 years in prison respectively.

Declaring that absolutely nothing—not even the Court—can prevent its referendum planned for December 3rd, Venezuela’s resolute position is that Guyana’s county of Essequibo belongs to it, and it is prepared to fully defend its sovereignity.

Calling the referendum which Venezuela intends to hold on December 3rd, over its claim to Essequibo, an “existential threat ” to its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Guyana yesterday argued at the ICJ in the Hague that Caracas was seeking to evade the jurisdiction of the court and its acts of aggression are intended to lay the path for annexation.  

Spanning sixteen years, the long battle in the courts has finally come to an end for former dismissed manager of the New Building Society (NBS), Maurice Arjoon, who has been awarded his pension and other benefits in full.

Sophia resident Wazim Perreira, who back in 2019 killed his former reputed wife by drenching her with gasoline and setting her alight, has been sentenced to 19 years behind bars, less the time he has since spent on remand.

Pursuing a case which the High Court has ruled Attorney General Anil Nandlall SC had no standing being a part of in the first place, the State has now incurred an additional $2.5 million dollar in costs on top of the initial $4 million; having lost on a second round of litigation. 

While finding that the decision of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue a permit to ExxonMobil for its Gas to Energy (GTE) project was “contrary to law and improper,” High Court Judge Priya Sewnarine-Beharry has nonetheless refused to grant reliefs sought in an action which challenged that decision.

Acting Chief Justice, Roxane George SC has ruled in favour of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); against which an action was filed to put a stop to flaring of gas offshore by ExxonMobil.

Social media personality Mikhail Rodrigues, popularly known as “Guyanese Critic,” has had contempt proceedings brought against him for failing to pay some four million dollars in rent owed to his previous landlord.

Veterinarian Dr. Steve Surujbally has filed a $100m  lawsuit against the State, which he says ought to compensate him adequately for his land compulsorily acquired for the gas to shore project.

Former General Manager of the National Communications Network (NCN) Enrico Woolford, has won a $7m lawsuit he had filed against the state-owned media entity which he had said owed him gratuity payment for some three years.