A case lodged this week in the High Court is seeking a series of declarations to protect the benefits of former President Bharrat Jagdeo under the controversial Former Presidents (Benefits and Other Facilities) Act 2009.
Colin Pilgrim, a Charlestown resident, has filed the motion seeking several orders, including one for the issuing of the requisite regulations under the Act to permit Jagdeo to tap a broad range of benefits. The seeking of this order would suggest that Jagdeo had not accessed all of benefits enshrined in the Act.
The controversial Act, which had come under severe criticism from opposition parties and other sections of society over what they said was its extravagance, was passed in 2009 with the PPP/C administration using its majority. After the 2011 elections, the opposition-led National Assembly passed an amendment bill reducing the benefits. This bill was
