Opposition Member of Parliament, David Patterson, is seeking $25 million in damages for the violation of his fundamental right to travel, which occurred at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on the night of Tuesday, September 26, 2023.
According to reports, Patterson had successfully cleared Immigration and Security checks and was moments away from boarding a flight to the United States when an Immigration Officer, acting under the orders of the Chief Immigration Officer, abruptly prevented him from departing the country.
In a letter dated October 10, addressed to the Attorney General (AG), Anil Nandlall, SC, Patterson’s attorney, Nigel Hughes, demanded damages to redress the breach of his client’s constitutional rights and the ensuing losses and damages.
The attorney said, “…Despite the reminders from his counsel that there was an expressed order from (Senior Magistrate Leron Daly) granting permission to Mr Patterson to travel, the Chief Immigration Officer persisted in the refusal to permit our client to travel out of Guyana.”
Hughes emphasized that it was a matter of public record that his client was travelling on official business in his capacity as a member of the National Assembly to meet with and address members of the congress of the United States.
Furthermore, the attorney asserted that the Chief Immigration Officer’s actions were not only a breach of Patterson’s rights but were also intended to undermine and frustrate the official visit and presentations that Patterson was scheduled to make in the United States.
Highlighting the gravity of the intentional violation of Patterson’s protected right, Hughes argued that his client is unequivocally entitled to substantial damages. He went on to explain that the expressed admission of the Chief Immigration Officer regarding the breach of Patterson’s constitutionally guaranteed right to travel, as provided in Article 148 of the Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, solidified the case for vindicatory damages.
The letter concluded with a stern notice that, should the Attorney General fail to respond within five days, the legal team’s instructions were to proceed with a judicial determination of the breaches of Patterson’s rights, ensuring accountability and justice in this case.
If it was going to Haiti or mudda africa, I guess travel would have not have been restricted. But it was going to the USA to stir up more trouble, hollering “racism.” Useless POS.
This creature has NOTHING to contribute to Guyana and should go back to mudda africa from which his forebears were captured by other victorious tribes.