Gov’t mulls contempt of court proceedings against GCB

– Injunction remains in force, says AG

By Rajiv Bisnauth

Following the Guyana Cricket Board’s move to regularise some issues affecting the administration of cricket in Guyana, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall said that the government is mulling contempt of court proceedings against the GCB members.
The GCB executive on Tuesday last indicated that they are moving to set up a committee in order to repair the fractured Demerara Cricket Board (DCB), which was split into two factions in 2011, among other issues affecting the sport locally.
The GCB is contending that based on the legal advice received, the board can continue to operate despite the interim injunction granted against the entity.
However, during an interview with Guyana Times International Sport on Wednesday, Nandlall revealed that the GCB executives are demonstrating clearly that they have no regard for court orders and the Laws of Guyana.
“Clearly they are forcing contempt of court proceedings to be filed against them. Their disregard for law and order by itself disqualified them from being entrusted with the important responsibility of administering the affairs of cricket in this country. These are people who want the public to place their confidence in them, to manage millions of dollars and financial resources, be our national ambassadors in the cricketing world, yet they violate orders issue by the Court against them and laws of the land with impunity,” Nandlall said.

The Legal Affairs Minister further disclosed that the High Court injunction secured by the government of Guyana back in February prevents the executives of the GCB from performing duties on behalf of the board and remains in force. “Sometime in April of this year that in junction was discharged by the Chief Justice, that discharge was suspended and or put on hold by the Chief Justice after hearing arguments from lawyers appearing for the attorney general.
“Then subsequently that order which discharged the injunction was subsequently vacated and the hearings of those proceedings continued on the basis that the in junction was still in force. Affidavits continue to file by lawyers of the nine injuncted persons in their attempt to have the injunction discharged.”
Nandlall continued, “Suddenly in the month of November these injuncted persons through a process that is incomprehensive began to say in the press that the injunction was discharged, though they are going to court on a frequent basis and filing affidavits and submissions in their attempt to discharge the very injunction that they suddenly saying was not in force. In other words they have manufactured and concocted a self serving position that the injunction has suddenly varnish”. “As a result of their public announcement the Chief Justice summoned all the parties to his office on December 9 and made it clear that the injunction is in force. However, not withstanding that clarification of the Chief Justice in respect of this self-induce believe of these persons they continue to act in flagrant breach of and disregard for the order of the Chief Justice which prohibits them to act as members/ officers of the defunct GCB or as cricket administrators in Guyana,” Nandlall concluded.