AG Chambers to begin enforcement process to recover millions in court costs owed by opposition MPs
Lawyers attached to the Attorney General’s Chambers have been instructed to begin the process of filing court proceedings to ensure that monies totalling millions in court costs are paid by members of the APNU+AFC Opposition.
The monies owed are as a result of failed court proceedings filed by the opposition on numerous occasions.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, explained that several reminder letters were sent to the opposition. However, this has proven futile and no monies have been paid to date.
“They have refused, obstinately refused to pay the cost. This constitutes contempt of court and I have already instructed my lawyers to begin the process of enforcing the judgements or the cost orders,” the Attorney General explained during his televised programme ‘Issues in the News,’ Tuesday evening.
“It means that persons’ vehicles and other movable properties will be seized by marshals of the High Court and sold at an execution sale to recover the monies and there are many persons, the eight who were suspended, they each owe sums of money,” he further explained.
Last month, AG Nandlall announced that his chambers will be moving to enforce the payment owed by the opposition.
The decision was made following Justice Navindra Singh’s dismissal of a case challenging the passage of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Bill, filed by opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones and Trade Unionist Norris Witter.
The judge ordered the applicants to pay $1.2 million in court costs on or before July 19, 2023.
Additionally, eight opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) were suspended from the National Assembly for unparliamentary behaviour during the debate of the Natural Resources Fund Act in December 2021. Subsequently, they moved to the courts to block their suspension but were unsuccessful.
In January, they were ordered to pay $350,000 each to the state, however, the monies have not been paid.
Only recently, Chief Justice, Roxane George dismissed two proceedings that were filed by PNCR-led APNU to block the 2023 Local Government Elections (LGE).