Jagdeo wins defamation case brought by Goolsarran

(Kaieteur News) – Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has successfully defended a defamation lawsuit brought against him by former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran, with the High Court finding that the key statements complained of were substantially true.

Justice Peter Hugh, in a judgment delivered yesterday, dismissed Goolsarran’s claim and ordered him to pay $250,000 in costs, bringing the three-year-old dispute to an end. The case stemmed from remarks Jagdeo made at a press conference at Freedom House on 23rd March, 2023, and at a political rally at Port Mourant on 26th March, 2023.

Goolsarran had claimed that Jagdeo’s statements damaged his reputation by accusing him of lacking integrity, failing to perform his duties as Auditor General, remaining silent on public accountability issues and being politically motivated. At the Freedom House press conference, Jagdeo questioned why Goolsarran had remained in the Audit Office during a period when no audited public accounts were presented, arguing that he should have resigned if he had integrity.