Justice Peter Hugh has found former government minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy liable for defaming veteran journalist Enrico Woolford over allegations that he was involved in a plot to rig Guyana’s 2020 elections.
In a judgment delivered Thursday, Justice Hugh ordered Ramsammy to pay Woolford $5 million in damages and $250,000 in costs, bringing a six-year legal battle over the publication to a significant conclusion.
The defamatory statements were published in Ramsammy’s Ramsammy Ruminations column in the Guyana Times approximately six years ago, amid the intense political controversy surrounding Guyana’s 2020 General and Regional Elections.
Justice Hugh also ordered Ramsammy to issue Woolford a public apology and retraction within 21 days.
In addition, the judge imposed a permanent injunction preventing Ramsammy and the Guyana Times from publishing defamatory words about Woolford by Ramsammy.
The court, however, dismissed Woolford’s claim against the Guyana Times and awarded the newspaper $250,000 in costs.
The case arose from allegations published by Ramsammy linking Woolford to an alleged effort to manipulate the outcome of the 2020 elections. Justice Hugh found that the allegation was wrongful and defamatory.
Woolford was represented by attorney Eusi Anderson.
The judgment comes against the backdrop of the highly contentious 2020 elections, which produced months of political and legal turmoil before the final results were declared.
The March 2020 election was followed by a disputed vote-counting process, particularly in Region Four, and an eventual national recount ordered under legislation enacted during the crisis. The recount results ultimately formed the basis for the final declaration of the election outcome.
The controversy generated intense political commentary and competing allegations concerning the conduct of the election and the actions of political actors, election officials and others involved in the process.
It was during this charged political environment that Ramsammy published the statements about Woolford in his newspaper column.
The defamation proceedings subsequently became a separate legal contest over whether those allegations had crossed the line from political commentary into unlawful damage to an individual’s reputation.
Thursday’s ruling now requires Ramsammy to formally retract the allegations and apologise to Woolford.
The financial award consists of $5 million in damages, together with $250,000 in costs, while the separate costs award to the Guyana Times reflects the court’s dismissal of Woolford’s claim against the newspaper.
The permanent injunction also places continuing restrictions on the publication of defamatory material concerning Woolford by Ramsammy.
The case underscores the legal consequences that can arise when allegations concerning individuals are published as statements of fact, particularly where those allegations concern serious conduct such as election manipulation.
For Woolford, the judgment provides a court finding in his favour after years of litigation over allegations that associated him with an attempt to undermine the integrity of Guyana’s electoral process.
Ramsammy is now required to comply with the court’s order to publish the apology and retraction within 21 days.
The ruling was delivered on September 17, 2026.
