Attorney-at-law Mr. Roysdale Forde, S.C, on Wednesday filed Contempt of Court proceedings against the Committee of Management of the Guyana Public Service Cooperative Credit Union (GPSCCU).
The action was filed on behalf of members Mehalai McAlmont, et al. They are petitioning the court to declare that members of the GPSCCU Committee of Management (CoM) unlawfully failed to comply with the principal orders made by the Hon. Justice Navindra Singh on the 30th September 2022.
On 30th September, Singh ruled the CoM must issue a new Notice within 10 days of the date of the Order- 30th September, 2022- scheduling a Special General Meeting (SGM) to be held no later than the 24th October, 2022.
The CoM issued the Notice below:-
The applicants have contended the Notice above violated the ruling handed down by the court that issuance of a Notice is presented in a manner as seen below:-
The applicants are further asking the court to stop the CoM from discontinuing their Notice of Application, for a variation of the principal orders made by Justice Singh.
The members are also seeking a declaration that the CoM, evidenced by their collective actions, acted in a manner to frustrate the court’s orders and that in doing so, abused their power and and caused the derailment of the democratic process.
In April of 2022 members of the GPSCCU demanded the recall of the incumbent CoM and the holding of a Special General Meeting (SGM).
In September the court ordered the CoM to organise the SGM.
The CoM initially requested a waiver of the judge’s orders, subsequently withdrew the request for the waiver, and went ahead and acted in a manner, the applicants deemed, outside of the court’s directive.
A boycott of the 24th October 2022, SGM was called by aggrieved members in protest against actions by CoM, who members felt were in violation of the court’s ruling. The union membership responded positively which resulted in an absence of a quorum and failure to have the SGM.
