*If you make false allegations on me which defames my character, be prepared to face the consequences in court*
It is the right of anyone to make negative comments about me or others. But you do not have the right to defame others without consequence. Rhoda Bharath, a consultant attached to the Ministry of Finance, hired with the approval of Colm Imbert, and who is being paid a hefty sum for communication, learnt that lesson yesterday when she was ordered to pay my legal cost after consenting to issue me a public apology for the false statements she made, which she has already done on social media.
In a similar vein to Prime Minister Rowley, who, afraid to lay the FUL audit report in public, attempted to lay it in Parliament, the one place where you can lie on others without legal consequences. The court denied both Bharath and Rowley the opportunity to smear my name, but the big difference is Rowley was smarter than Bharath, which is why he would not dare make defamatory statements in public.
One of several others who I have in court for also making defamatory statements, this is the price she has to pay for her lie, which also accused me of a criminal act. And to be clear, this is not about the money, it is about the principle of defending my good name. This is why from the very beginning, what I wanted from Ms. Bharath was the public apology, but she chose to allow it to go to court, and now she must pay my legal costs.
In the end however, it is my hope, especially in the heat of the upcoming local government election, that person’s respect the right to free speech, but they don’t cross the line as Bharath did, because perhaps the most significant lesson coming out of her loss, is ‘Don’t take medicine for anyone else’s fever’, since you may end up being the one to pay the price.
Gary Griffith