Edghill prepared to defend “malicious prosecution” lawsuit in court

Opposition Parliamentarian Juan Edghill Monday said he is prepared to defend the $200 million “malicious prosecution” lawsuit against him in the court.

Minister of Finance Winston Jordan filed the lawsuit because of the “misconduct in public office” charges which were brought by Edghill against him in relation to the spending of taxpayers’ money on the controversial Durban Park Project.

That charge was dismissed by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) before Minister Jordan appeared before court to answer to it.

Edghill, therefore, contended that he cannot be sued for “malicious prosecution” when Minister Jordan was never prosecuted.

“The Minister was not even prosecuted. I filed a charge which I am entitled to as a citizen… the minister is supposed to go to the court and defend that charge…The Minister is talking about malicious prosecution but this is what you call political persecution,” Edghill told News Room on the corridors of Parliament Monday.

Edghill, a former junior Finance Minister, said it seems as if Minister Jordan is “bored” and “needed a distraction and a headline”.

The Opposition Parliamentarian said he is yet to receive a writ from a Court Marshal and that he first learned of the lawsuit through the media.

Nonetheless, he said whenever the writ is eventually served, he is prepared to defend his actions.

“I will stand in the court and defend this matter because when I brought those charges against the Minister, I was representing the view of hundreds of thousands of Guyanese who still have concern about the spending on the Durban Park,” he stated.

In fact, Edghill is hopeful that at least the issue regarding the project may be discussed at the level of the High Court the matter is called.

In the lawsuit filed, Minister Jordan contended that the intent of the charge against him was to “embarrass, humiliate and cause him to suffer public hatred since the charge was widely reported in the local newspapers, radio, electronic media, social media and was accessible and circulated on the World Wide Web.”