Latest update January 10th, 2025 5:00 AM
Latest News
- Jagdeo-led PPP supported tax waivers to Exxon without seeing terms of oil contract
- President stomps Nandlall’s plan to appeal $24M awarded to Quindon Bacchus’ family
- More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, officials say
- Benn flags citizens lax approach to fire safety
- Chinese man missing after falling off new harbour bridge
‘Critic’ guilty of contempt of court
Mikhail Rodrigues popularly known as the ‘Guyanese Critics’
– ordered to pay $100k fine, issue public apology
Kaieteur News – On Tuesday, Mikhail Rodrigues popularly known as the ‘Guyanese Critics’ appeared before Justice Priscilla Chandra-Hanif in the High Court where he pleaded guilty to contempt of court.
He was ordered to pay $100,000 by September 9.
Failure to do so will see him being sent to jail for three days. He also has to issue a public apology to the court. Rodrigues was cited for contempt in accordance of Section 6 of the Contempt Act, after he live-streamed a section of a court hearing via his Facebook page without having the court’s permission to do so. This occurred on August 30th during the defamation hearing for a lawsuit filed against Rodrigues by Former Minister of Government Simona Broomes for defamation of character.
The court was made aware of his actions when the live stream ended and he was summoned to make an appearance and provide cause why he should not be held in contempt. The court document states that he must issue the apology on his show and also publish it on his website. Broomes had filed a $450 million libel and defamation lawsuit in February of this year. Broomes is suing Rodrigues over several libelous statements, which he made against her on his morning programme, ‘They Break News’. She has asked the court to award her $450M in damages.
In court documents seen by this newspaper, the former Minister lists 14 times that the social media commentator made statements defaming her on his January 24, 2024 programme. In the document drafted by attorney Dexter Todd, Broomes noted that Rodrigues accused her of engaging in revolting activities.
The lawsuit details that on his January 24, 2024 programme which was broadcast on Facebook, Rodrigues made the libelous statements against Broomes. As part of the lawsuit, seeking an injunction that would restrain Rodrigues, his servants and or his agents, from further publishing or causing to be publish, any statement by him that would convey the impression that she was involved.
She is also seeking an order to have Rodrigues remove the offending programme from all social media platforms, to retract his statements and issue an apology to her.
The lawsuit covers several parts of the broadcast that was done by Rodrigues and the many statements he made at various points in relation to Broomes.
In her grounds to support the claim, Broomes noted that she was a politician, Member of Parliament under the APNU+AFC Government, and a human rights activist who is highly respected nationally and internationally as a leader, businesswoman and miner.
Broomes was awarded by the U.S. State Department in 2013 as an International Hero in the fight against human trafficking in Guyana. At all material times, she noted Rodrigues falsely and maliciously published boldly and sensationally untrue allegations and statements about her on his widely viewed Facebook programme ‘They Break News.’’
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
The unconscionable terms of the PSA establish a case for renegotiation
The unconscionable terms, The unconscionable terms Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- The Production Sharing Agreement (PSA)... more
Forget Begging Rich Nations: Caribbean Countries Should Act to Save Themselves
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- It has long been evident that the world’s richest nations, especially those responsible... more
Weekend Cartoon
