The Interim Management Committee (IMC) yesterday issued a press statement on the recent decision by the Caribbean Court of Justice. The IMC said that the release was necessary because of “misinformation which is being peddled in the public domain.
Following is the IMC’s statement
The Interim Management Committee, established by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport in keeping with the judgement of the Chief Justice (ag.) Mr. Ian Chang SC, wishes to clear the air on the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) given on 11 June 2012.
This has become necessary because of the misinformation which is being peddled in the public domain.
The facts are now set out hereunder:
(1) Robin Singh and Rajendra Singh, purporting to represent the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), had approached the High Court in Guyana, ex-parte, seeking an order nisi to quash the decision of Minister Frank Anthony to establish the Interim Management Committee.
(2) That application was dismissed by the Chief Justice (ag) Mr. Ian Chang SC.
(3) Under Order 46 Rule 16 of the High Court Rules, the said applicants made a similar application to the Full Court of the High Court seeking the same order. The Full Court, comprising Mr. Justice William Ramlall and Mr. Justice Bovell-Drakes, dismissed that application.
(4) The applicants then approached the said Full Court seeking leave to appeal that Full Court’s decision to the Court of Appeal. That application was also refused. They then filed an application to the Court of Appeal seeking that Court’s leave to appeal the decision of the Full Court.
(5) The Court of Appeal dismissed their application on the basis that no appeal was laid against a decision in the Full Court in those circumstances.
(6) The applicants then approached the CCJ appealing the Court of Appeal’s decision. The CCJ dismissed that Appeal as well.
(7) In so doing, the CCJ ruled that the entire process which the applicants had employed to challenge the ruling of Chief Justice (ag) Mr. Ian Chang SC in dismissing their original application was wrong. The CCJ pointed them to what the CCJ considered to be the right process, that is, to appeal the CJ’s decision to the Court of Appeal. The CCJ ordered them to file an application to the Court of Appeal for an extension of time to appeal the Chief Justice’s (ag.) decision as the time prescribed for doing so would have expired while they were pursuing the wrong procedure.
(8) In short, every Court in the judicial structure in Guyana, that is, from the High Court to the Caribbean Court of Justice, has dismissed the applications of Robin Singh and Rajendra Singh in this matter.
