Dear Editor,
Compton Reid, a private citizen, and a farmer from Berbice, took it upon himself to challenge the validity of the vote cast by former APNU/AFC MP Charrandas Persaud as a means of nullifying the December 21, 2018, motion of no-confidence which had ended the term of the Government.
It is publicly known that Reid was represented by a large team of lawyers at both the High Court and the Court of Appeal of Guyana and at the Caribbean Court of Justice – Rex McKay, SC, Robert Corbin, and Neil Boston, SC, and Roysdale Forde.
It would not be an unfair question to ask how did Reid afford to pay for this expensive undertaking. Was the State, in fact, the sponsor of this private action? Did the State pay for a private action brought by a private citizen? Available information appears to point to the latter.
If that is the case, the Government, firstly, needs to inform the public of whether it is appropriate for the State to use taxpayers’ money to pay for a private action. Secondly, the Government must also publicly declare how much monies have already been paid to represent Reid and his legal team including expenses, and, what is the total cost associated with representing this action.
Sincerely,
Gail Teixeira