Aeshwar Deonarine loses $1 B lawsuit against K/News, Patterson

Oct 02, 2019 News

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Former Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO) of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Aeshwar Deonarine has lost in his bid to collect a $1 B in a defamation suit filed against Kaieteur News and Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson.

Deonarine, who was accused of stealing $27 million from the Guyana Power Light (GPL) had filed a billion dollar lawsuit against Kaieteur News and Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson.
In the suit the former DCEO claimed that reports of his alleged theft injured his character and reputation, leaving him liable to public ridicule.
The libel suit was dismissed by Justice Franklyn Holder when the matter came up at the High Court in New Amsterdam, Berbice last Wednesday.
The case was reportedly dismissed for want of prosecution – due to the failure of Deonarine to show up in court himself or present witnesses to support the libel suit.
In addition, the Court rejected a belated proposal to have Deonarine, who is currently overseas, defend his case via Skype.
Kaieteur News has learnt that the Court found the request not viable, given the time it was made.
Deonarine was represented by Attorney, Mursaline Bacchus.
Meanwhile, Patterson‘s Attorney Ronald Burch-smith. in his written defence, noted that the alleged publications are substantially true.
The Plaintiff, Deonarine and his fellow director Duncan paid themselves sums of money purporting to be emoluments related to their remuneration from the Guyana Power and light. The Board of Director did not authorize these sums.
The legal document went on to state that the method of payment as reported whether correct or not, does not substantially alter the meaning and substance of the plaintiff’s dishonesty.”
Further, the document said that the Minister relied on the defence of fair comment to defend his case.
It was pointed out that Deonarine’s action was unearthed by an audit into GPL for which the public had a compelling interest.
Added to that, the plaintiff has not offered any credible explanation for paying himself without the approval of the Board of Directors of GPL and it was a matter on which the Minister with responsibility for Public Infrastructure was expected to comment.
Deonarine, who currently resides overseas, was charged for simple larceny in January 2016 after it was alleged that he transferred $27M to his personal bank accounts from the PetroCaribe funds.
The charges were filed and a warrant was issued for his arrest by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. It was reported that Deonarine fled to Canada.
In the legal document Glenn Lall, Publisher of Kaieteur News; and Adam Harris, Editor-in-Chief of Kaieteur News, were named as the third and fourth defendants respectively.
The second and fifth named defendants are listed as National Media and Publishing Company Limited and Kaieteur News respectively.
Deonarine had contended that in a November 11, 2015 issue of Kaieteur News the defendants falsely and malicious printed and published an article “Government makes no effort to recover $27M from former GPL Deputy CEO.”
The document said that by publishing the article, the whole world understood that Deonarine had stolen $27M from GPL, or at least took the sum to which he was not entitled from GPL, and had committed a criminal offence, and as such, sues the defendants jointly for damages to the tune of $1B, with costs.
The article, the document said, highlighted that Deonarine had reportedly signed off on payments to himself totalling $27M. Duncan, who was a former Director at GPL, received $948,000.
The discoveries of the suspicious monetary transfers were made by independent auditors who were probing the PetroCaribe Fund, which held proceeds of oil shipments taken from neighbouring Venezuela. Some of the monies were used to buy Wartsila engines for GPL among other things.”
The monies represented back pay the men felt they deserved, the document said was published.
It went on to say that Kaieteur News published that Deonarine, who had been responsible for administration had reportedly wanted to receive the same level of pay as the then Deputy CEO (Technical), Colin Welch, but his approaches to the Board of Directors were rebuffed.
He had written to GPL offering to repay the money but GPL was supposed to have waited until it was transferred from his US bank account. The transfer was reportedly never made.
The document said that this newspaper published, “When Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson confronted Duncan, he kept changing his story. In the first instance, Duncan said that the Board approved it.
“When told that officials of the board denied this, Duncan then said it was the Chairman, Winston Brassington. But Brassington reportedly also denied granting approval. Duncan then said it may have been the former Prime Minster Samuel Hinds. Hinds when contacted distanced him from the payment.”
“Confronted again, Duncan then suggest it may have been former President Donald Ramotar. According to Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, Government has taken steps to ensure that no interference will come as a result of the findings.”

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