Ferguson Awaits Next Court Date in Long-Running Jagdeo Libel Matter

More than six years after filing a libel lawsuit against Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and over two years after the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) cleared the way for further appellate consideration, former Minister and former Parliamentarian Annette Ferguson says she is still waiting for the matter to be called by the courts.

Speaking with Village Voice News, Ferguson expressed frustration at the delay, noting that the case remains unresolved despite having traversed multiple levels of the judicial system.

The lawsuit was filed in January 2020 against Jagdeo, then Leader of the Opposition, and the Guyana Times over statements Ferguson said were defamatory.

In March 2021, Justice Sandra Kurtzious entered judgment in default against Jagdeo after he failed to file a defence within the time prescribed by the Civil Procedure Rules. The court awarded Ferguson G$20 million in damages. The judgment was based on procedural default rather than a trial of the substantive issues.

Jagdeo subsequently sought to have the default judgment set aside, arguing that his failure to file a defence was not deliberate and that he should be allowed to contest the claim. The matter moved through the appellate courts, generating important legal questions about access to appellate review.

The dispute eventually reached the CCJ, which in January 2024 ruled that Guyana’s Court of Appeal had jurisdiction to consider an appeal arising from an evenly divided Full Court.

Reflecting on that ruling, Ferguson noted that the CCJ did not decide the underlying defamation claim. “The CCJ’s decision did not determine whether the original statements were true or false; rather, it addressed the appellate process and allowed further consideration of Jagdeo’s challenge to the default judgment,” she explained.

Despite the CCJ’s ruling, Ferguson said the matter has yet to move forward.

“Almost two years after, I am still waiting on the court to call the matter,” she told Village Voice News.

The matter also comes amid a recent High Court ruling in favour of engineer Charles Ceres. Last Friday (June 12, 2026), High Court Judge Fidela Corbin-Lincoln ruled in favour of Ceres in his defamation lawsuit against Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, ordering Jagdeo to pay G$15 million in damages plus G$2.15 million in costs, for a total of approximately G$17.15 million.

The continued delay means that a case filed in 2020—one that has already produced a High Court judgment, multiple appeals and a significant CCJ ruling on appellate jurisdiction—remains unresolved, with no indication of when it will next come before the courts.