PNCR Leader sues Kit Nascimento, news outlets for GYD$2.6 billion

Last Updated on Thursday, 6 May 2021, 16:48 by Denis Chabrol

Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), David Granger has sued several privately-owned news outlets for GYD$2.6 billion for publishing allegedly defamatory letters by Christopher ‘Kit’ Nascimento about the controversial 2020 general elections.

In addition to Mr. Nascimento, cited as the first named defendant, the publications that have been sued are Guyana Times, Kaieteur News,  Inews and Stabroek News between the  May 23, 2020 and July 20, 2020.

Mr. Granger has made 53 claims for damages of GYD$50 million each, bringing the total to GYD$2,650,000,000

Cited as defendants are Nascimento, Guyana Times Inc; Guyana Times Editor Tusika Martin; National Media and Publishing Company Ltd , which publishes the Kaieteur News; Kaieteur News owner Glenn Lall; Kaieteur News Editor Shamain Grainger; Guyana Publications Inc. which publishes the Stabroek News, and Stabroek News Editor-in-Chief Anand Persaud.

Mr. Granger, through his Attorney-at-Law Roysdale Forde, also wants the High Court to order the removal of those offending letters and opinions from the websites of those publications.

Mr. Granger wants the High Court to order each news outlet to issue a retraction and an apology to him for “the false, malicious and defamatory statements impugning the character and representation” of him in those news publications.

Further, the PNCR Leader is asking the High Court to issue an injunction restraining Mr. Nascimento, his servants or agents from posting,  printing,  publishing, sharing, recording or otherwise recreating and disseminating those offending content.  Mr. Granger also wants the High Court to issue a mandator injunction compelling Mr. Nascimento to permanently remove the offending article from the Online versions of those publications.

Mr. Nascimento is a former Cabinet minister in the then PNC-led Forbes Burnham administration. After the PNC lost the 1992 elections, he had served as a communications consultant to that party and had been staunch critic of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration for several years.

Throughout the 2020 election period, Mr. Nascimento had heavily criticised the then David Granger-led coalition administration on its posture towards the elections controversy. He currently serves as a Communications Consultant to the Irfaan Ali-led PPP administration.