Judge orders Irfaan Ali to pay $50,000 to Kaieteur News

Jan 21, 2012 News

Housing Minister Irfaan Ali must pay $50,000 to Kaieteur News after his lawyer incorrectly filed his writ claiming libel.
The lawyer, Hukumchand, had gone to the courts with his claim for libel and seeking an injunction after Kaieteur News published on its front page of its New Year’s Day edition, a photograph of the house Minister Ali was building at Leonora, West Coast Demerara.
The compound also contained a pool house and a swimming pool. The newspaper noted the age of the Minister and noted that he was constructing “a mansion.”
The publication incensed the Minister. Letters flowed from various quarters, all of them connected to the Minister justifying the construction of the home. Some recalled the history of the Minister.
In court on Thursday, before Justice Dianne Insanally, lawyers for Kaieteur news challenged the affidavit. The court found that it had been improperly filed. The result was that the temporary injunction granted is no longer in currency.
Hukumchand must now re-file the affidavit by February 20. Meanwhile, lawyers for Kaieteur News have until that date to file a response to the Irfaan Ali writ.