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Jagdeo files response in Charles Ceres $200M libel suit – Other respondents granted time

Jul 25, 2019 News

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has filed an affidavit in response in the $200M libel suit brought him by businessman and prominent engineer, Charles Ceres. Ceres had filed a lawsuit against Jagdeo, Kaieteur News, and Guyana Times due to information publicised as it relates to the massive land giveaway claims.
Following a hearing of the case yesterday, Jagdeo’s lawyer, Anil Nandlall spoke to reporters briefly outside the courtroom. He said that the opposition leader will be relying on the defence of justification, fair comment and qualified privilege. In his capacity as leader of the Opposition, the People Progressive Party’s General Secretary and Member of Parliament, Mr. Jagdeo has certain responsibility to speak publicly on certain things.
“We feel that the matters of which he spoke about at the press conference were among the things that he can speak about as part of his responsibilities and duties. We are relying on those technical, legal matters as a defence.” Nandlall said. He noted that the Court is at present considering the injunction which Ceres requested.
The Court has also granted time to the other respondents to file their responses. The matter has been adjourned to August 5 at 3:00pm.
Ceres, and his wife, Ndibi Schwiers, have filed a lawsuit claiming in excess of $200 million each for libel from the respondents.
In the statement of claim, Ceres and his wife are seeking damages in excess of $200M from Jagdeo for statements, which he made for claiming inter alia that Schwiers, through her husband, obtained public lands at Canje Creek, Bohemia and Liliendaal by corrupt, illegal and criminal means.
The parties are also seeking damages in excess of $200M for the publishing of the unsubstantiated and defamatory statements via the People’s Progressive Party’s FaceBook page and YouTube channels.
The applicants are also seeking in excess of $200M each from publications, Kaieteur News and Guyana Times, for publishing articles based on Jagdeo’s claims that the couple might have obtained the said lands via immoral, improper, illegal and criminal means.
In addition to the sum worth in damages, the claimants are also seeking retractions and apologies from the news outlets.
In the interim, the parties also asked the Court to consider granting them an injunction against the newspapers to prevent them or their servants from publishing further defamatory statements.

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