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THE Court of Appeal has granted a conditional stay in the defamation lawsuit brought by former government minister Mustapha Abdul-Hamid against Finance Minister Colm Imbert.

Justice of Appeal Gregory Henderson, in a written ruling on February 6, upheld Imbert’s application for the stay, provided that he deposits the full judgment sum of $296,500 into the court within 29 days.

This follows a ruling by Justice Kevin Ramcharan on January 3, ordering Imbert to pay Abdul-Hamid damages for defamation. The lawsuit stemmed from statements Imbert allegedly made at a public meeting in Sangre Grande in September 2018.