Black Immigrant Daily News

The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) says it is aware of the concerns being raised by protesters regarding the closure of a section of the Belmont Property in St Ann, commonly known as Little Dunn’s River.

“The UDC wishes to remind the public that while the property falls within the remit of the Corporation, Little Dunn’s River is not operated as a licensed beach as the premises lack basic sanitary conveniences, has no insurance coverage or other requisite permits in place,” a release from the organisation outlined.

The Corporation has publicly stated same from as far back as 2013.

The UDC said the incident in which a member of the public was killed close to the facility has also added to the issue.

Reports are that a 25-year-old man identified as Roshane Housen otherwise called Bredda was shot and killed in late August near the beach.

“Further to the tragic incident in August, in which a member of the public was murdered, the UDC again closed the property and introduced security on site.

Persons are encouraged to cooperate with the UDC on this matter towards the health and safety of the general public,” the release said.

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Consumer Price Index (CPI) August-2022

The Statistics Division, under the Ministry of Finance and Corporate Governance releases the CPI for Aug 2022

Year-on-Year Analysis

All Items Index increased 8.3% for the twelve months ending August 2022 a smaller increase than the 8.5% for the period ending July 2022.

The Food Index rose 12.8% over the last twelve months. The index for Oils and Fats rose 23.8% over the year. The average price of Glow Spread margarine rose from $7.54 to $ 8.64 while a one-liter bottle of Soya oil rose from $6.66 to $10.19. The remaining major supermarket food groups posted increases ranging from 6.3% (Fruits) to 18.3% (Meat and Meat Products).

The index for Fruits advanced by 6.3% with the sub-category Fresh or Chilled Fruit increasing by 5.7%. The increase was impacted by the average price per pound for watermelon which rose from $3.51 to $4.60. There were also increases in the prices for apples, grapes, and pear.

The index for Meat and Meat Products rose 18.3%. The index for Poultry rose 27.6% with all seven commodity prices increasing. The index for Delicatessen and Other Meat Products grew 22.1% over the year.

The Energy index increased by 11.0% a smaller percentage increase than the 17.1% in July 2022. The decline has been attributed to the reduction of diesel and gasoline at the pump which took effect after the collection period in July 2022. The Index for All Items Less Food and Energy rose 7.0% over the last twelve months.

Month-to-Month Price Changes

The Monthly Consumer Price Index is 0.0% for August 2022 .

The Food Index rose 2.8% in August 2022, as seven of the nine major supermarket food indexes increased. The Index for Vegetables rose 5.1% with the subcategories Fresh and Chilled Potatoes increasing 8.5% and Fresh and Chilled Vegetables rising 6.4%. The index for Fruit increased by 4.0% in August. The index for Meats and Meat Products increased by 2.8% a larger increase than the 1.0% increase in July.

The index for Sugars, Jams, Honey, Chocolate, and Confectionery fell 2.3% with the index for Sugar declining 5.6% over the one month.

The Energy Index fell 5.2% in August 2022. The price of gasoline at the pump was reduced from $17.50 to 15.54 per gallon and diesel remained at $17.25 per gallon.

The Index for All Items Less Food and Energy declined -by 0.1% in August. The index for Transport Services fell 1.6% as a result of a reduction in the average airline fares.

Methodology

What is the consumer price index (CPI) measuring and how is it done?

The All Items Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the main measure of what is commonly called inflation, or headline inflation. It measures the change in prices, on average, from month to month, and from year to year of the goods and services bought by most households.

Prices are collected monthly and quarterly from supermarkets and other suppliers of goods and services. The pattern of household expenditure on these goods and services is derived from a regular household budget (or expenditure) survey (HBS). The prices and spending patterns (known as weights) are then combined to calculate the price indices for groups of goods and services and for the All Items index. These indices are based on expenditure patterns in 2006.

The All Items (or overall) index, with all of its twelve (12) component indices, is published each month.

For a detailed account of the methodology used in calculating the CPI, please call the Statistics Division.

Copies of the CPI for Aug 2022 can be accessed on the Division’s official website www.statistics.gov.ag

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Justice Frank Seepersad

A Tobago man who now lives in Guyana, who gave his friend the power of attorney to sell his land in D’Abadie in 2020, but only received a portion of the proceeds of the sale, has been successful in his lawsuit.

On Monday, Justice Frank Seepersad said the court was satisfied that Cheryl-Ann Baptiste, of Store Bay, had been served with the lawsuit filed by Eric Blackman and failed to defend it.

He ruled that on the basis of the documents filed, Baptiste breached her duty to Blackman and failed to give him the full amount she received for his land.

The land, at Pine Haven Gardens, was sold for $1.9 million, but Blackman only received $298,000.

Blackman’s lawsuit said Baptiste claimed she did not transfer the proceeds from the sale via wire transfer as US dollars were unavailable for the transaction.

After not being able to contact Baptiste by phone, Blackman revoked the power of attorney and filed a claim in May 2021 against her for the remaining $1,602,000.

In his ruling, Seepersad said the matter highlighted the need to review the approach lawyers adopted in the sale of land using the power of attorney.

“Lawyers are advised…unless they prepared the relevant power of attorney, to seek specific and direct instructions from the principal.”

He further suggested that any money received from the sale of land in such cases should be held in escrow by the attorney and only remitted when they received specific instructions from the client.

“Lawyers must protect citizens against fraud. The reality is that as this republic faces evident economic challenges, many are displaced and without hope. As an unfortunate consequence, crime and unlawful activity will increase and stringent enforcement methods and proactive preventative steps must be initiated.

“This court will not tolerate unlawful conduct and a no-tolerance approach to unlawful conduct must be adopted.”

In addition to awarding Blackman interest on the sum he is to receive, he ordered the registrar of the Supreme Court to forward to the acting Commissioner of Police all the documents filed in the case, along with his transcript, so an investigation can be done to determine whether fraud charges should be laid.

Blackman was represented by attorneys Nyamekye Mapp and Jocelyn Lynch-Benjamin.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The Court of Appeal on Monday unanimously ruled that it will proceed with hearing an appeal against a 19-month-old judgement by Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, SC in which she dismissed the APNU/AFC’s second election petition challenging the results of the 2020 General and Regional Elections and has fixed November 1 for a report hearing.

Filed by Claudette Thorne and Heston Bostwick, the election petition sought to have the election results invalidated on the ground of serious non-compliance with the Constitution of Guyana and electoral laws as it relates to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)’s conduct over those elections.

On Monday, the court’s bench comprising Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards and Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud ruled in favour of a motion filed by Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde for the hearing of the matter to be expedited, noting that its reason for doing so is because of the public interest nature of the case and that no one should be turned away from the seat of justice.

Trinidadian Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes, who represented Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, one of the respondents in the appeal had, however, asked the appellate court to dismiss the motion, arguing that it was the petitioners who had failed to initiate the process to prosecute the matter.

In so doing, he argued that there would have been no resistance if the petitioners had filed the application for an urgent hearing by May 31, 2021, instead of August 30, to cater to the likelihood of a further appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

But Forde, who is also the shadow Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, argued that this is not the case, stating: “The High Court documents which would be necessary to constitute an appeal… remain in the custody of the High Court.”

His clients, Forde pointed out, 19 months after the Chief Justice rendered her ruling, were forced to file the motion requesting an expedited hearing not only because she failed to deliver a written decision but because she failed to have the necessary documents prepared and sent to the Appeal Court.

Thorne and Bostwick had contended that Section 22 of the Elections Law (Amendment) Act and Order #60, also known as the Recount Order, were in violation of the Constitution.

But, in dismissing the petition, the Chief Justice held that the petitioners failed to present evidence to support that the conduct of the elections contravened the Constitution and electoral laws.

She ruled that neither Section 22 nor the Recount Order was ultra vires the Constitution, adding that Article 162 of the Constitution empowered GECOM to take whatever actions were necessary to conclude the elections, including embarking on a recount of all ballots.

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