‘Every day the govt. is being sued’

Aug 09, 2022 News

– Nandlall says as House approves $100M to help fight law suits against State

Kaieteur News – Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall SC revealed on Monday that the number of lawsuits filed against the State is among the main reasons the Ministry of Legal Affairs is seeking an additional $100 million as part of its supplementary budget.

Attorney General, Anil Nandlall SC

In response to questions posed during the 49^thsitting of the National Assembly, Nandlall explained that the State has been left with the financial burden of paying legal fees for a case brought against the government for the failed 2016 parking meter project contract.

According to Nandlall, some US $3 million will be expended on legal fees for the parking meter case which is filed in a Court in Washington DC. The Attorney General noted too that the $100 million only represents a single deposit of the monies to be expended on the parking meter case.

In addition, he noted there are several other lawsuits brought against the Government of Guyana. Nandlall told the Assembly that: “Everyday almost the Government of Guyana is being sued in what I consider to be frivolous litigation. Only, today I had proceedings filed in relation to the appointment of Patrick Findlay as Chairman of the Police Service Commission and every member appointed by the President to the Integrity Commission has also been sued… These persons are simply dragged before the Court because they have demonstrated a willingness to serve the people of this country… Each of these persons have been sued in their personal capacity so the State has to provide lawyers to represent these persons as they are being sue for no fault of their own.”

According to the AG, the elections petitions cases are also a part of the legal matters which the Government is to retain services to further represent its interest in that case.

“So this $100 million is to retain services in those categories of matters to which I have made mentioned,” he said.

Back in January, the AG announced that Mexican Company had sued the Government of Guyana (GOG) for US$100 million as compensation in relation to a parking meters project which was introduced under the previous administration.

Smart City Solutions (SCS), a Mexican Company sued the Government of Guyana (GOG) for US$100 million as compensation in relation to a parking meters project which was introduced under the previous administration, some five years ago. The project was introduced in 2016 by the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) under the stewardship of Mayor Patricia Chase-Greene. However, the project was stalled after it was rejected and faced massive protest by many citizens.

Nandlall said that most people might have forgotten about the parking meters project but the company has not. “We all forgot about the parking meters project. Well, the company that was responsible has not forgotten. The company has filed proceedings in an institution called the International Center for Settlement of Investments Disputes (ICSID) in Washington DC, against the Government of Guyana,” he related.

The ICSID is an international arbitration institution established in 1966 by the World Bank Group for legal dispute resolution and conciliation between international investors and States.

The case was filed on December 22, 2021, by the claimants: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, New York, NY and Houston, TX, U.S.A, and Fraser & Housty, Attorneys at Law, Georgetown, Guyana. The Attorney General’s Chambers, Ministry of Legal Affairs, Georgetown, Guyana, was listed as the respondent.

According to the ICSID website, the status of the matter is pending and the latest development in the matter is that the acting Secretary-General has registered a request for the institution of arbitration proceedings.

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