Dear Editor,
It is hard to accept and understand the exuberant cost estimates associated with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case of Guyana vs Venezuela as it pertains to the county of Essequibo. There have been a number of cases where it has taken several years, and in some cases decades, vs oil companies or even the USA Government and the cost of the cases have not surpassed the million-dollar mark. These cases usually entail a number of appeals. A good example was the recent legal case and the settlement associated with NYPD illegal Muslim surveillance. This case was quite sensitive, difficult and costly with the legal fees over almost five years being only US $950,000. Also in the award from the court, legal expenses were included and returned to the plaintiff in the case. If the return of our legal costs are included, then the funds may also be salvaged. In addition, our Bar Association, along with members and alumni of our legal fraternity should be able to furnish sufficient lawyers of high calibre to support this legal pursuit at the ICJ. The inclusion of legal counsel from Her Majesty’s team should also be able to bolster the effort and aid in containing any excessive costs associated. A bit of research into the matter and precedence associated with costs should be quite informative and eye-opening for those putting together the effort at the ICJ. We must also keep in mind that the country has had a very long time in which to be well prepared for this undertaking and a bipartisan approach in the legal team’s makeup will both unite us and make us stronger verses our external adversaries. In this undertaking we must and will have to be as One People from One Nation with One Destiny.
Best regards,
Jamil Changlee
