There will be many more of Mr. Harripaul’s fabrications
DEAR EDITOR,
I refer to the letter published by your edition of March 27, 2012, and written by Mr. Malcolm Harripaul, headed: “Mr Ralph Ramkarran should not be cementing the PPP dictatorship.” Apart from the political bile, Mr. Harripaul accuses me and my firm, Cameron and Shepherd, of improper conduct, to which I respond.
My firm, has been in existence since April, 1901, and for most of its life were the retained lawyers for, firstly, Bookers and then GuySuCo, except for about twenty years during the 1970’s and 1980’s. The records show that we first began representing Bookers at least ninety years ago. We have been and are well qualified to do so having regard to our well established and acknowledged expertise as a commercial and corporate law firm with profound knowledge of GuySuCo’s operations and requirements. I think by now Bookers/GuySuCo would have discovered whether our services and representation are not in their best interest and would have long dispensed with them if we had been found wanting.
We have not sued anyone in New York or anywhere outside of Guyana on behalf of GuySuCo, as alleged by Mr. Harripaul, and have not “hired,” selected or recommended any law firm outside of Guyana to represent GuySuCo, again as alleged by Mr. Harripaul. These are fabrications concocted by Mr. Harripaul with such facility that it appears that he does not care that they are, just so that he can manufacture a case against me and my firm.
GuySuCo has been the victim of two law suits in relation to the “Demerara Gold” trademark and other related matters both in New York and Canada. GuySuCo made its own choice of lawyers without our input, assistance or advice, seeking the best skills and experience to represent them in these very complicated proceedings.
I was never asked by any journalist what my firm was charging GuySuCo. This is another of Mr. Harripaul’s fabrications. I was in fact asked at a recent PPP press conference by a Kaieteur News reporter what the American lawyers were charging in these cases. Assuming that I had such information it would have been quite improper for me to disclose it. The question was as absurd (the word I used to describe it) as if I had asked Mr. Harripaul how much he paid for the Rolex wristwatch that he had been sporting after he became a customs official in the early to mid 1990’s and shortly before he abruptly parted company with the customs department.
As regards our own fee, they are not based on any “contract” for “business” in the way that Mr. Harripaul has suggested with heavy innuendo. We charge different hourly rates for the lawyers of varying experience in our firm. These rates are modest and comparable to the average of what prevails across the legal profession in Guyana. In fact, in a number of cases they are far less than what some senior lawyers and a few junior ones charge. The same fees are applicable across the board for every client except pro bono cases. GuySuCo is not charged a higher fee than the many small firms that we represent
I have never responded to any of the many letters written by Mr. Harripaul about me in the same vein and published, no doubt with glee, by the Kaieteur News. I am forced to do so on this occasion to expose his lies about my own and my firm’s professional integrity.
On the political accusations I leave Mr. Harripaul to his own devices, fabrications, delusions and prejudices. No doubt there will be many more in the future.
Ralph Ramkarran