President’s cancelling of rice land leases unconstitutional -CJ

Chief Justice Roxane George

Acting Chief Justice Roxane George SC on Tuesday ruled that President David Granger’s cancellation of leases granted to several West Coast Berbice rice farmers last March was unconstitutional given in part that those agreements were valid and binding.

This is according to one of the attorneys for the affected farmers, Anil Nandlall who said too that the court found that the revocation amounted to “a deprivation of the applicants’ property without prompt and adequate compensation as prescribed by Article 142 of the Constitution”.

Stabroek News reached out to the Ministry of Legal Affairs/ Attorney General’s Chambers for comment on the case but did not get a response. The AG’s Chambers represented the State and the Mahaica, Mahaicony, Abary-Agricultural Develop-ment Authority (MMA-ADA), in the proceedings.