The Full Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature today reinstated a G$500 million defamation lawsuit filed by Rickford Burke, President of the Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID), against Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira, overturning an earlier dismissal by Justice Priscilla Chandra-Hanif. Burke is represented by attorney-at-law Darren Wade, and the lawsuit also names Attorney General Anil Nandlall, the National Communications Network (NCN), and the Guyana Chronicle.
According to CGID’s release, the dispute originates from a conference organised by Burke in Washington, D.C., held on September 27–28, 2023, under the theme “Promoting Inclusive Governance and Economic Growth, Equal Justice, Social Equality & Sustainable Development for All Guyanese in The Era of Oil and Gas.”
The event drew members of Guyana’s political opposition, civil society representatives, and several United States lawmakers, and was aimed at addressing issues of governance, inclusion, and equitable development in Guyana.
Following the conference, the CGID release alleges that senior Guyanese government officials—including Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, and Minister Teixeira—mounted a public campaign making “false allegations” against Burke and attempting to portray him negatively. Burke maintains he has no criminal record.
The release states that Teixeira issued a written statement accusing him of being charged in the U.S. with multiple crimes—claims Burke insists were “all false and reckless.” It adds that U.S. officials “did not entertain” the allegations and proceeded with scheduled meetings during the conference.
CGID described the event as “a huge success,” citing engagements with several Members of the U.S. Congress—including Democratic Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Yvette Clarke—and noting that then–Vice President Kamala Harris “called on the PPP government to end discrimination and govern equitably for all Guyanese.”
Burke sharply criticized Justice Hanif’s handling of the case, asserting that she insisted he appear via Zoom and penalised him for not submitting a COVID-19 test while ill, despite his explanation that he was stranded out of town. He argues that Teixeira, by contrast, “at no point” appeared in the matter and was never required to do so, conduct he claims demonstrated “bias beyond reasonable doubt” and created “two tiers of justice.”
He further contended that Teixeira did not attend the Full Court appeal hearing, and said that when questioned about her absence, her attorney Sanjeev Datadin stated she was busy—an explanation Burke described as inadequate.
On December 19, 2024, Justice Hanif ruled that Burke must travel to Guyana to testify and provide G$1.2 million in security for Teixeira’s legal costs by February 3, 2025. She ruled that failure to pay would leave the matter dismissed against Teixeira and all defendants.
Justice Hanif later struck out the entire case, including against three defendants who had not applied for such relief. Burke condemned the ruling as “baseless in law and a reckless, political attempt to absolve or exempt Gail Teixeira from accountability.” While this article softens the personal characterisations, quoted phrases remain intact.
Attorney Darren Wade appealed the decision, and the Full Court—comprising Justices Fidela Corbin-Lincoln and Nicola Pierre—heard the matter. The panel today overturned Justice Hanif’s ruling, reinstating Burke’s lawsuit and modifying the security-for-costs requirement.
The Court ruled “that while the learned trial judge properly exercised her discretion to order security for costs in favour of the First Named Defendant, she erred in extending the sanction of strike-out to the remaining defendants, who were not parties to that application and in respect of whom no security was ordered.”
The Full Court ordered that security for costs be provided only for Teixeira, by February 2026, allowing the substantive defamation suit to proceed.
