Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha has filed a $5m libel suit against Leader of the Opposition Aubrey Norton, who he says has accused him of corruption and for which he is seeking a retraction and apology.
In addition, he wants an injunction restraining Norton from further publishing or causing through agents, the publication of the words complained of which he said are defamatory.
In his claim filed with the High Court registry yesterday, Mustapha is seeking aggravated and/or exemplary damages, interest on any award given, costs and any further order the court deems fit to grant.
Mustapha says in his claim that sometime around December 2nd last, a press statement was posted on the Opposition’s Facebook page in which corruption allegations were levelled against him.
According to Mustapha, the matter pertaimed to the smuggling of chicken into Guyana from Suriname.
The press statement the claimant says, also accuses him of interfering with the police investigation regarding alleged smuggling, thereby “unlawfully depriving the country of revenue and undermining the success of the poultry industry in Guyana.”
Of the statement, the Agriculter Minister said, “the words, and any reasonable inference thereto is completely and utterly false and without any foundation in reality, real or imaginary.”
Mustapha said that following the publication of the statement by the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, he then issued his own press release refuting what he said were the “false and libelous” claims made by Norton.
Mustapha said his statement was accompanied by exhibits of the documentation establishing the legality of the importation of chicken from Suriname.
The Agriculture Minister said in his statement of claim (SoC), that the decision of the government to import chicken from Suriname “became necessary since the local chicken consumption has vastly increased, resulting in the local supply being unable to meet the growing demand.”
He went on to say that in addition to the increased local consumption, the local chicken industry was seriously affected by an outbreak of avian influenza in the United States of America early last year.
According to him, the outbreak, in turn, negatively affected the importation of hatching eggs, which led to the depletion of an already inadequate supply of chicken in Guyana.
The decision to import chicken Mustapha said, was not only to ensure adequate supplies but also to stabilize prices in an effort to protect consumers.
He said that it was in these circumstances, that the government-owned and controlled Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) which falls under the supervisory authority of the Ministry of Agriculture, was instructed and authorised to import chicken in order to meet the demand of the local market.
Against this background, Mustapha said he called on Norton to immediately “withdraw this baseless, reckless and libelous allegation.”
Mustapaha said that following the release of his press statement, no apology or retraction was forthcoming from the Office of the Opposition Leader, but rather a statement in response which repeated the allegation.
Describing himself as a “distinguisehd public figure” who he said has “enjoyed local and international acclaim worldwide,” Mustapha said that the statements from the defendant have caused harm to his character.
