Latest update April 1st, 2025 7:33 AM
Latest News
- Foreign companies dominate bids for Phase II of Wales gas project
- Concerns grow over impacts of ExxonM’s operation on fishing industry
- Israel orders Rafah evacuation
- New $449.6M magistrate’s court opens at Friendship
- Court throws out appeal, orders Guyanese Critic to pay Mohameds $52M for defamation
Full Court turns down request to allow suspended MPs back into Parliament
Kaieteur News – The Full Court on Friday turned down a request by the lawyers representing the Opposition for the eight suspended A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Members of Parliaments (MPs) to resume their duties in the National Assembly.
The ruling of the Full Court Justices Jo Ann Barlow and Sandil Kissoon came after High Court Judge Damon Younge denied a previous request for temporary interim orders which would have allowed the MPs to perform their duties in the National Assembly until the hearing and determination of the court case in spite of a decision by the Parliamentary Committee of Privileges to suspend the MPs over a list of infractions during their protest in the House on December 29, 2021.
Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde (centre left) with Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton and the suspended MPs during the filing of the court matter against their removal from Parliament
The Opposition had created a ruckus over the passage of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) legislation. The MPs had charged that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic government was hurriedly moving ahead with the passage of the amended NRF bill despite their request to view and submit their input on the reworked legislation that deals directly with the oversight of the spending of Guyana’s oil and gas revenues.
As such, the Opposition MPs, last December, in a desperate attempt to stop the passage of the NRF bill engaged in loud protests inside the Parliamentary Chambers, some of them chanted and blew whistles while others tried to forcibly take the ceremonial mace from the Speaker. Their actions were met with heavy condemnation from the other side of the House and a decision was made to temporarily ban them from performing any of their parliamentary functions.
APNU+AFC MPs Sherod Duncan, Christopher Jones, Ganesh Mahipaul, Vinceroy Jordan, Annette Ferguson, Natasha Singh-Lewis, Maureen A. Philadelphia, and Tabitha Sarabo-Halley were fingered as the main perpetrators and suspended by the committee of privileges for several consecutive sittings.
The suspended MPs, nevertheless, approached the High Court in hope that a judge would temporarily block the decision of the privileges committee. When Justice Younge decided against granting them the order, the group moved to the Full Court seeking the same relief.
Their Notice of Appeal before the Full Court sought inter alia, a temporary conservative order which would allow them back into the National Assembly and an order which would expedite the hearing and determination of the case before Justice Younge.
In their ruling on Tuesday, Justices Barlow and Kissoon turned down the request citing that it was prematurely placed before the appellate bench. Both judges agreed that no decision was made by Justice Younge for the parties involved to seek to appeal.
“We are of the firm view that the Appeal filed in the Full Court is premature as the identical issues outlined in the notice of appeal are currently before Justice Damon Younge for consideration…” Justice Barlow said as she handed down the Full Court Decision on Friday.
The judge noted, nonetheless, that it is hoped that Justice Barlow will deal with the case with the alacrity that is essential to a case of public importance.
Earlier this month, the MPs approached the Full Court seeking an urgent hearing of the Notice of Appeal filed against the decision of Justice Younge. The application asked that the court pending the hearing and determination of the Appeal, grant “a Conservatory Order, Injunction Order or other Order suspending the effect, operation and or validity of the Report of the Parliamentary Select Committee of Privileges on the Privilege Motion on 24th January 2022 and adopted by the said Committee on the 9th day of June, 2022.”
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Freedom of Information is a myth
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- I once thought Freedom of Information meant you could, well, access information freely.... more
The U.S. “Joining” the Commonwealth: an unreasonable expectation
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- Recent media stories have suggested that King Charles III could “invite” the United... more
Weekend Cartoon
