Attorney General (AG) and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall is debunking assertions that he lied to Vice-President (VP), Bharrat Jagdeo about filing a defence in a libel matter, resulting in the VP being ordered to shell out $20M in a default judgment to an Opposition Member of Parliament (MP).
In the court document seen by Guyana Standard, Jagdeo – through his new counsel, Devindra Kissoon – said that at all times, during February 2020 and beyond, he “diligently and promptly” enquired of Nandlall of the status of the matter, and was advised by him that the defence was filed and that the matter had not yet been fixed for case management.
“I made several inquiries about the filing of defence and at all times was under the mistaken impression that the matter had been attended to,” the VP said in an application seeking to set aside the order.
But Nandlall is now saying that he, too, was under the impression that the defence was filed. In a Facebook post, earlier today, the AG said that while lawyers prepare legal documents, the filing is done by their clerical staff. He added that clear instructions were given to his staff to file the prepared Defence. He admitted that “in error”, he assumed that this was done, and therefore, communicated to Jagdeo that the document has been submitted.
The AG noted that at no time did he lie or attempt to mislead Jagdeo, and cautioned against the “devious spin” and “skewed” narrative being peddled.
In a further comment to Guyana Standard, Nandlall referenced his record as a stellar lawyer and noted that he is not in the practice of lying to his clients let alone Jagdeo who is more than just a client to him.
He referred to the headline carried by this publication and said that it was wholly inaccurate. Nandlall said, “it cannot be considered a lie when I was also of the belief that the defence was filed.”
Three days ago, Justice Sandra Kurtzious ordered Jagdeo to pay $20M in damages to former Coalition Minister, Annette Ferguson following a libel suit she had brought against him last year.
Ferguson had filed the case in January 2020 for statements made by Jagdeo during his time as Opposition Leader. The former President had accused Ferguson of seeing a meteoric rise in wealth within two years of becoming a Minister. He had also accused her of taking three house lots in Eccles for herself.
Along with the $20M, the court also ordered Jagdeo to pay Ferguson a further cost totaling $75,000. If the Vice President fails to comply, the default judgment states that he would be held in contempt of court and may be liable for imprisonment or have his assets confiscated.
