Latest update December 19th, 2024 3:22 AM
Jagdeo’s court case suspended as High Court battle looms
The private criminal charge case against former President Bharrat Jagdeo continued yesterday in a Berbice court with Magistrate Charlyn Artiga announcing that she cannot hear the matter because an action has been filed to bar her from proceeding.
The High Court battle is expected to generate much attention as Magistrate Artiga had already started the matter. It is expected that questions would be raised about the authority of a Magistrate to hear a case.
Again Jagdeo, like on June 22 when the case was called, was absent from court.
He is accused of racial incitement during a speech at Babu Jaan, Corentyne, earlier this year.
Attorney-at-Law/Activist, Chris Ram, had filed the private criminal charge.
Yesterday, there were questions in the Whim Magistrate’s Court whether Ram’s side had been served notice of the High Court challenge. Jagdeo’s lawyer, Murseline Bacchus, had proposed that Ram be served. However, this was disallowed. Yesterday, copies were given to Ram and his lawyer.
The matter comes up for report on September 23 for a report.
Ram indicated that he will be seeking to be a party in the High Court case as he is the one that filed the action in the first place.
On June 22, Jagdeo was a no-show at a Berbice court yesterday. His lawyers reported him sick, during the continuation of the high profile case.
Dr. Kailasam Kumar reportedly issued a medical letter, ordering two weeks’ bed rest for pains to his back and other parts of his body. Dr. Kumar reportedly shares a medical practice with Dr. Vindhya Persaud, a Parliamentarian for Jagdeo’s party in the last Government.
The former President appeared on May 25, at the Whim Magistrate’s Court and was made to stand in the prisoners’ dock before being placed on self bail and barred from leaving the country without the permission of the court.
The travel restrictions were later lifted after his lawyers applied to the High Court.
His lawyers later went to the Berbice High Court questioning Magistrate Artiga’s jurisdiction to hear the matter.
Bacchus on June 22, had requested that Ram’s side make disclosures of the evidence in their possession. He said that the disclosures would include transcripts of the recording of Jagdeo’s statements made on March 8, 2015 at Babu Jaan, Corentyne, Berbice, statements from witnesses and other materials.
Hours before his first appearance on May 25, Magistrate Artiga had threatened to issue an arrest warrant for him if he did not appear.
He reportedly had to rush to the court, located some 75 miles from his home in the exclusive Pradoville 2 community at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara.
Ram, a Lawyer/Accountant, had accused Jagdeo of breaking the laws when he uttered statements on Sunday March 8 at Babu Jaan.
The former President reportedly said, “The opposition consistently shout about the racism of the PPP but they practice racism. The opposition beat drums at six in the morning and say let us throw out those coolie people.”
Ram charged that the statement “can result in racial or ethnic violence or hatred among the people”.
At the first hearing, Jagdeo’s lawyers had argued that the charge was frivolous, vexatious and without any basis in law. They requested that it be dismissed.
His lawyers, on May 25, argued that Jagdeo is well known and is not a flight risk. He was also known as “Champion of the Earth”; had several honorary doctorates and was on the list of candidates for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic for the recently held General and Regional elections.
If found guilty, Jagdeo could be fined $100,000 and jailed for two years
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
The stakes are high in Guyana’s democracy
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- In any vibrant democracy, the mechanisms that bind it together are those that mediate differences,... more
Let the asylum seekers go: a first step for Venezuela to rebuild relations in the Americas
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News – The government of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela has steadfast support from many... more
Weekend Cartoon
