High Court throws out PNCR Lethem office claim

Aug 28, 2026 News

…orders party to pay $300,000 in costs

(Kaieteur News) – The High Court has dismissed People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)’s lawsuit over its removal from the Lethem building that served as its regional headquarters for decades.

In a judgment delivered on August 24, 2026, the Court ruled entirely in favour of the State, establishing that the political party had no legal ownership over the property and that its eviction by regional authorities was lawful.

The dispute stems from a March 2023 operation in which Regional Executive Officer (REO) Karl Singh, contractor Dale Kennedy, and members of the Guyana Police Force entered the premises, demolished parts of the structure, and cleared out the party’s belongings. The PNCR subsequently launched legal proceedings, alleging trespass, conversion of property, and constitutional violations. However, according to a press release issued by the Attorney General’s Chambers and Ministry of Legal Affairs on August 27, 2026, the Court firmly rejected the opposition’s arguments. “The Court found that the land and building belonged to the State and were vested in the RDC, noting that the PNCR could not produce any lease, title document, or other proof of ownership.”

High Court throws out PNCR Lethem office claim

The PNCR was thrown out the office back in 2023.

Addressing the party’s presence at the Region No. 9 site, the statement noted, “The Court found that the party’s decades-long occupation began in the 1970s and that its presence there was best understood as permission granted by the State rather than a legal right to the property.”

The judge also dismissed claims that the eviction was sudden or unlawful, highlighting that the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) had given the PNCR “ample notice to vacate, starting in November 2021 and repeated several times before a final deadline in January 2023.” Since the party’s permission to stay had been lawfully revoked, the Court held that the March 2023 recovery of the building “did not constitute trespass.”

Furthermore, allegations regarding stolen or converted party property were thrown out. The Court confirmed that all items removed from the building were properly “inventoried and stored by the RDC and remained available for collection.” Ultimately, the High Court determined that the government’s actions were a “lawful enforcement of its property rights rather than discrimination or an unconstitutional taking.”

The Court dismissed the claim in its entirety and ordered the PNCR to pay $300,000 in costs to the Attorney General. The PNCR was represented by attorney Darren Wade, while the State was represented by Attorney General Mohabir Anil Nandlall SC MP, alongside State Counsel Pierre Squires.

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High Court, Lethem building, PNCR, regional headquarters

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