On Monday (January 10 2022) last, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), Sasenarine Singh, filed a Statement of Claim in the Demerara High Court against the Kaieteur News.
According to the documents, Singh is seeking more than $100,000 in damages for alleged libel contained in a series of “Letters to the Editor”.
Through Senior Counsel Timothy Jonas, Singh alleges that between December 16 -28 2021, the Kaieteur News embarked on a campaign to tarnish his reputation with the publication of a series of statements disguised as letters to the editor.
According to documents, Singh is seeking an injunction against the newspaper, its servants/agents, or any of them whomsoever from further publishing or causing to be published the words complained of, or any other words to the same or similar effect. Singh is also seeking costs, interest and such further or other order as deemed fit by the Court.
In the 13 page Statement of Claim, Singh stated that the statements concerning him personally and those pertaining to his post as CEO of GuySuCo were “published falsely and maliciously”, amounting to libelous conduct by the newspaper.
Singh is therefore arguing that the Kaieteur News has implied that he participated in a fraudulent, secret, and corrupt schemes to procure for, and to use for his personal benefit and in breach of his duties as CEO, resources, both financial and human, belonging to the corporation.
Singh further argues that the publications suggest that he was entering transactions that were detrimental to the corporation for personal profit in breach of fiduciary duty, was dishonest, and was an unethical person in the course of his professional duties.
Singh contends that as a result of these publications, his character, credit, and reputation have been seriously injured and brought into public scandal, odium and contempt because of the libel.
