Latest update April 3rd, 2025 5:06 PM
High Court awards $1.2M to MP Patterson over travel restriction
Opposition Member of Parliament, David Patterson
Kaieteur News-Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) and Chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC), David Patterson was awarded $1.2 million on Friday in damages by the High Court, after law enforcement authorities wrongfully blocked him from traveling overseas last year.
The ruling was handed down by Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire.
Confirming the ruling was Patterson’s lawyer, Attorney-at-Law, Nigel Hughes who made the announcement during a press conference yesterday.
Hughes told media operatives, “The Honourable Chief Justice has just awarded the sum of $1.2 million plus cost in the sum of $250,000 to Mr. David Patterson for the authorities wrongfully stopping him from leaving the country when he was going to meet Congressional Committee and the Senate.”
He added that the cost is expected to be paid to the MP before the 15th or 16th of December.
This publication had reported that Patterson had sued the State in October 2023 for $25 million in damages for the violation of his fundamental right to travel.
It was reported that on the evening of Tuesday, September 26, 2023, Patterson successfully cleared Immigration and Security checks at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) in preparation for his flight to the United States. However, he was prevented from departing Guyana by immigration officials.
However, following that incident the Guyana Police Force had apologized to Patterson, saying that his name had “inadvertently remained on an Immigration Department’s watchlist.”
In a terse statement, the police said that Mr. Patterson’s name was placed on the watchlist in July 2023 during an ongoing investigation by the police into accusation of indecent exposure. “The Guyana Police Force has internal SOPs to deal with such issues, and a full probe is underway by the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) as to why Mr. Patterson’s name was not removed earlier from the list. Mr. Patterson’s name has since been removed from the watchlist,” the statement ended.
(High Court awards $1.2M to MP Patterson over travel restriction)
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