Femi Harris-Smith

With the prosecution failing to establish the identity of the person it said they murdered, Ray Yokum, Steffon Campbell and Faisal Moore were yesterday discharged of the crime and set free.

The Guyana Court of Appeal has affirmed the ruling of Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, SC nullifying the appointments of Vikash Ramkissoon and Sarah Browne as Parliamentary Secretaries.

Raymond O’Selmo has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the 2019 fatal stabbing of Nadina Kalamadeen, whom he attacked and chopped about the body and face, after she rebuffed his advances for a relationship.

Chanderpaul Persaud, Harilall Ramdan and Jagishwar Ghani have each been sentenced to life in prison for the 2017 stabbing death of Uitspa labourer Dhanpaul Dookie.

Solomon George called ‘Georgie,’ has been able to secure his release from prison over the 2016 killing of tractor operator Rampersaud Rattan, after a judge sentenced him to time-served.

Wesley Bazil called ‘Tappy,’ who was convicted last month for raping a 15-year-old girl who had gone to his shop to make a purchase, has been handed a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Attorney-at-Law Ronald Burch-Smith, says that Senior Counsel Ralph Ramkarran’s description of the justice system “being on the verge of collapse” is no exaggeration; and credits the deficiencies to the absence of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) which should have been reconstituted some six years ago.

Finding that now former Attorney General Basil Williams SC had slandered his then predecessor Anil Nandlall SC over allegations of law reports being stolen from the AG’s Chambers, a High Court judge has awarded Nandlall damages to the tune of $10m.

Corriverton resident, Durn Hunt, who last month pleaded guilty to murdering his girlfriend Itashia Frank back in October of 2018, has been sentenced to 20 years behind bars for the crime.

For what the State described as “gruesome” treatment unleashed on his victim/survivor, Corentyne resident Broan Luke has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for raping a woman at knife-point after breaking into her house.

Totaram Lalta of Adelphi Village, East Canje Berbice, who had a history of being abusive to his mother, was yesterday sentenced to 12 years behind bars for the woman’s death.

Murder accused Wayne Chester is now awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of the 2017 murder of Guyanese, French Guiana-based clothes vendor, Purcell Moore, who was shot dead during a robbery.

The Guyana Court of Appeal has reserved its ruling regarding whether it will grant an application by the Attorney General to be added as a party in the appeal filed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its challenge to the High Court order that it enforce the liability clause in permits for ExxonMobil’s offshore oil operations here.

Together with interest, the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) has been ordered to pay Vilvoorden Investment Inc., for

Sitting in Guyana and delivering judgment in a local case, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) yesterday denied the application for special leave to appeal by a man who was handed two life sentences for raping a child back in 2017.

In what was described as a significant day in the annals of Guyana’s history, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) held sittings locally, for the second time since its establishment eighteen years ago.

Having heard the appeal filed by Hofosawa Awena Rutherford to her conviction and sentence for poisoning her children back in 2014, the Court of Appeal will next move to deliver its judgment.

Declaring that “the presence, absence or use of the Mace in the National Assembly is not provided for in the Constitution or the Laws of Guyana,” High Court Judge Navindra Singh has dismissed the entire case brought by the opposition, in its challenge to the December 2021 passage of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Bill.

Amidst controversy over whether the body of notorious murder convict and death-row inmate, Royden Williams,  should have been handed over to his family or retained by the state for burial, Attorney General Anil Nandlall SC had said that it was the latter which had control of final rites.

Finding among other things that government has “substantial public, economic and pecuniary interests,” High Court Judge Priya Sewnarine-Beharry has allowed it to join the litigation challenging a decision made by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue a permit to ExxonMobil for its Gas to Energy (GTE) project.