– Suspended MPs ordered to pay $350,000 costs each to the state
The legal challenge to the National Assembly’s Committee of Privileges’ decision to suspend eight opposition Members of Parliament was yesterday thrown out with the Court ruling it does not have the jurisdiction to intervene in the internal matters of the House.
In the ruling handed down by Justice Damone Younge in the High Court in Demerara, the MPs were also ordered to pay costs to the state of $350,000 each by February 6th. The ruling came months after the eight MPs mounted a legal challenge against their suspension, in which they said that the principles of natural justice were breached as they were not given a hearing before the Committee of Privileges. The MPs were suspended from Parliament over their tumultuous bid on December 29 2021 to prevent the passage of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Bill which saw the forcible removal of the Parliamentary Mace. The Privileges Committee had recommended that Opposition Chief Whip Christopher Jones, Ganesh Mahipaul, Sherod Duncan and Natasha Singh-Lewis be suspended for four consecutive sittings and Annette Ferguson, Vinceroy Jordan, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley and Maureen Philadelphia be suspended for six consecutive sittings.
