Nandlall slams Christopher Ram for putting to witness a false document --- Ram refers to PNC as African organization
Written by GINA
Friday, 23 September 2011 03:38
Source - Guyana Chronicle
President Bharrat Jagdeo’s lawyer, Anil Nandlall, yesterday slammed Christopher Ram, one of the lawyers representing the defence, for attempting to put to the witness a document which Ram claimed to be a Government document when it clearly was not. This was after Dr Roger Luncheon, chief witness in President Jagdeo’s libel case against Freddie Kissoon and Kaieteur News, had rejected the document as not being a Government document.
The $10M libel case was brought about as a result of an article published in June in the Kaieteur News, titled ‘King Kong sent his goons to disrupt the conference’.
Justice Brassington Reynolds upheld Nandlall’s objection and ruled that no questions can be asked of the document. This occurred while Dr Luncheon was explaining that the government, through the Ministry of Culture, prepared a programmatic document of activities in observance of International Year for Peoples of African Descent. Dr. Luncheon explained that many organisations were consulted in the process of putting together this document and that the government had allocated $32M to fund these activities.
Ram posed to the witness whether he knew if ACDA, the PNC and other African organisations were consulted. Dr. Luncheon said he couldn’t recall all the names of the organisations consulted. On many occasions, Nandlall was forced to object to several questions posed by Ram to Dr Luncheon, on the ground that they had no relevance whatsoever to the issue raised in the case. Most of these objections were upheld by the judge who ruled that the questions were irrelevant.
Ram questioned the replacement of Cheryl Miles as Guyana’s Ambassador to Brazil with Harrinarine Nawbatt, to which Dr. Luncheon explained that Miles was a career diplomat, whose term of office had ended and she was succeeded by Nawbatt, who was a non-career diplomat.
Luncheon further explained that when Miles, who was posted in Brazil, retired as a public servant, President Jagdeo appointed her on contract to continue to serve as Ambassador to Brazil; and when her contract came to an end, she returned home and Nawbatt was then appointed. Ram then proceeded to talk about the appointment of other Government officials, to which Nandlall objected, saying that his questions are more of a commentary.
Nandall, at one stage, was forced to remind the court that this was not “Plain Talk’, referring to Ram’s television programme. The judge subsequently ruled against Ram’s line of questioning and asked him to re-align his questions.
Prior to Ram’s cross examination, Nandlall elucidated that under the Constitution, neither the President nor Cabinet appoints the Speaker of the National Assembly, and that the Speaker is appointed by members of the National Assembly and that at the beginning of a parliamentary session.
Nandlall explained that in both 2001 and 2006, Ralph Ramkarran was unanimously appointed by the National Assembly.
Dr Luncheon was grilled by Ram about the appointments of the administrative heads of the Office of the President and ministries. He explained that these are the accounting officers as well as the administrative heads. Ram, on many occasions, claimed that Indo-Guyanese are holding these positions, which was debunked by the witness.
For instance, Ram stated that the Ministries of Agriculture and Amerindian Affairs’ Permanent Secretaries are Indo-Guyanese when in fact they are not. The court also heard that the permanent secretaries of the Ministries of Culture, Youth and Sport, Housing and Water, Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Legal Affairs and Foreign Affairs Ministries are Afro-Guyanese as well.
Nandlall maintained that unless the defence can clearly establish that the President or the Cabinet is responsible for the appointment of a person who holds a particular office, then any question with regard to appointment is irrelevant to the case.
The matter continues today at 10:00hrs in the High Court.
Last Updated ( Friday, 23 September 2011 04:03 )
Written by GINA
Friday, 23 September 2011 03:38
Source - Guyana Chronicle
President Bharrat Jagdeo’s lawyer, Anil Nandlall, yesterday slammed Christopher Ram, one of the lawyers representing the defence, for attempting to put to the witness a document which Ram claimed to be a Government document when it clearly was not. This was after Dr Roger Luncheon, chief witness in President Jagdeo’s libel case against Freddie Kissoon and Kaieteur News, had rejected the document as not being a Government document.
The $10M libel case was brought about as a result of an article published in June in the Kaieteur News, titled ‘King Kong sent his goons to disrupt the conference’.
Justice Brassington Reynolds upheld Nandlall’s objection and ruled that no questions can be asked of the document. This occurred while Dr Luncheon was explaining that the government, through the Ministry of Culture, prepared a programmatic document of activities in observance of International Year for Peoples of African Descent. Dr. Luncheon explained that many organisations were consulted in the process of putting together this document and that the government had allocated $32M to fund these activities.
Ram posed to the witness whether he knew if ACDA, the PNC and other African organisations were consulted. Dr. Luncheon said he couldn’t recall all the names of the organisations consulted. On many occasions, Nandlall was forced to object to several questions posed by Ram to Dr Luncheon, on the ground that they had no relevance whatsoever to the issue raised in the case. Most of these objections were upheld by the judge who ruled that the questions were irrelevant.
Ram questioned the replacement of Cheryl Miles as Guyana’s Ambassador to Brazil with Harrinarine Nawbatt, to which Dr. Luncheon explained that Miles was a career diplomat, whose term of office had ended and she was succeeded by Nawbatt, who was a non-career diplomat.
Luncheon further explained that when Miles, who was posted in Brazil, retired as a public servant, President Jagdeo appointed her on contract to continue to serve as Ambassador to Brazil; and when her contract came to an end, she returned home and Nawbatt was then appointed. Ram then proceeded to talk about the appointment of other Government officials, to which Nandlall objected, saying that his questions are more of a commentary.
Nandall, at one stage, was forced to remind the court that this was not “Plain Talk’, referring to Ram’s television programme. The judge subsequently ruled against Ram’s line of questioning and asked him to re-align his questions.
Prior to Ram’s cross examination, Nandlall elucidated that under the Constitution, neither the President nor Cabinet appoints the Speaker of the National Assembly, and that the Speaker is appointed by members of the National Assembly and that at the beginning of a parliamentary session.
Nandlall explained that in both 2001 and 2006, Ralph Ramkarran was unanimously appointed by the National Assembly.
Dr Luncheon was grilled by Ram about the appointments of the administrative heads of the Office of the President and ministries. He explained that these are the accounting officers as well as the administrative heads. Ram, on many occasions, claimed that Indo-Guyanese are holding these positions, which was debunked by the witness.
For instance, Ram stated that the Ministries of Agriculture and Amerindian Affairs’ Permanent Secretaries are Indo-Guyanese when in fact they are not. The court also heard that the permanent secretaries of the Ministries of Culture, Youth and Sport, Housing and Water, Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Legal Affairs and Foreign Affairs Ministries are Afro-Guyanese as well.
Nandlall maintained that unless the defence can clearly establish that the President or the Cabinet is responsible for the appointment of a person who holds a particular office, then any question with regard to appointment is irrelevant to the case.
The matter continues today at 10:00hrs in the High Court.
Last Updated ( Friday, 23 September 2011 04:03 )
Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon sharing a light moment with Cabinet members Priya Manickchand and Dr Bheri Ramsaran while President Jagdeo’s lawyer Anil Nandlall is partly hidden behind Manickchand
