Latest update February 8th, 2025 6:23 PM
Aug 29, 2021 News
Kaieteur News – Justice Fidela Corbin-Lincoln has granted a default judgment to former Chief Executive Officer of the National Communications Network (NCN) and veteran journalist, Enrico Woolford, in a $150 million libel suit he filed against Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, an advisor to the current Minister of Health.
The decision was handed down on Wednesday at the High Court by the judge who is yet to fix a date for an assessment of damages hearing.
In a statement released on Woolford’s behalf on Friday, lawyer Eusi Anderson said his client is grateful for the ruling.
According to Anderson, the default judgments are granted in keeping with the Civil Procedures Rules when the defendant to a claim fails to file a defence within the prescribed time.
“My client tried to bring the proceedings to Dr. Ramsammy’s attention both through personal service and then through substituted service. In both situations, he incurred tremendous expense and failed to serve Dr. Ramsammy,” Anderson said in the statement.
Further, the lawyer said “My client looks forward to removing, with the passage of time and financial damages, the stain of alleged election rigging from his name in local, regional, and international quarters. He exhausted the judicial process and was vindicated in the end. He played no role in the alleged rigging of the March 2020 General and Regional Elections.”
Enrico Woolford, former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Communications Network (NCN), had filed a $150 million claim against the Guyana Times and Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, a columnist and former Minister of Health, for libel.
According to court papers, Ramsammy was sued over an article printed in the Guyana Times in which he alleges that he (Woolford) colluded with the APNU+AFC to rig the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.
In his statement of claim, the veteran journalist outlined that on March 18, 2020, in a column titled: “Ramsammy’s Ruminations” the former Minister of Health defamed him.
In the circumstances, Woolford was seeking in damages in excess of $150 million from Dr. Ramsammy and Times Media Group Inc., publisher of the Guyana Times newspaper.
According to the claimant (Woolford), the defendants, the Guyana Times and Dr. Ramsammy, expressly called for him to be sanctioned, by name, and as part of the media fraternity they assert is partially responsible for alleged efforts to rig.
He noted that Ramsammy called on the international community including but not limited to the governments of the USA, UK, Canada, the European Union as well as the Commonwealth, the Organisation of American States and CARICOM to sanction both him and his family members. According to Woolford, the article also suggests that he actively participated in the contamination and or manufacturing of statements of poll.
“The willful malice of this allegation is to be found in the defendants public and international call for adverse consequences not just to the claimant but to his innocent family (against whom they have raised not the iota of an allegation) without due process or a hearing only a conviction in Court of their opinion where they hold the posts of judge, prosecutor, defence counsel, jury and executioner,” he said in the document.
According to Woolford, the defendants made the allegations without affording the opportunity to confront them or offer a comment in defence. Woolford contended that the publication has inflicted damage on his name, income, future earning capacity, and international reputation.
He further contended that any right-thinking citizen reading the article would conclude that he is dishonest, of questionable character and devoid of integrity, unscrupulous, engaged in illegal activities and unethical behaviour, and not professional.
Feb 08, 2025
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