Luta continues challenge to TUCO leadership

Questions still loom over the validity of the appointment of TUCO head Ainsley King to the position of president following the death for Luta “Brother Resistance” Masimba in 2021, as veteran calypsonian Morel “King Luta” Peters continues to pursue the matter in court.

Peters’ original lawsuit was dismissed in June 2022, as his lawyers failed to plead an essential element of his case related to his membership in the organisation by a certain date. He said his lawyer immediately re-filed the case and they were awaiting a court date.

“TUCO appointed Ainsley King, who was then vice president as president. But the constitution states there needs to be a by-election when a post becomes vacant. So, I challenged that decision and wanted the courts to give an interpretation if they were in the right to appoint him or if they breached the constitution. The matter is just for the court to determine if the constitution was breached or not, that’s all.

“The substantive matter is whether TUCO’s constitution was breached or not, but it was never heard because of a technical error and the matter is still unresolved because up to now we don’t know if the constitution was interpreted correctly or not and that is the key issue.”

When the case was dismissed, Peters was ordered to pay costs to TUCO, and a determination of costs in the sum of $50,041.50 was given on Tuesday. Peters said his lawyers had asked for the award to be put on hold until the case was heard again.

TUCO, in a release on Tuesday, said with the judgment, the matter had officially reached its conclusion.

“This litigation began when Peters filed an action on behalf of TUCO on December 14, 2021, seeking to challenge the validity of the presidency of Mr Ainsley King. The claim also sought to render null and void all decisions made by Mr Ainsley King in his capacity as president.

“The matter was subsequently dismissed on June 30, 2022, by decision of Justice Kevin Ramcharan and Peters was ordered to pay costs to TUCO, the exact amount of which was to be determined in default of an agreement between the parties. Due to a disagreement on the amount, mainly attributed to Mr Peters' unreasonable cost position, the court undertook an assessment of the costs, culminating in the aforementioned order.”

TUCO said it continues to stand by its values and dedication to serving the calypsonian community in TT.

“We appreciate the support from our members and well-wishers and are pleased to move forward, focusing on the upliftment and celebration of calypso music and its heritage.”

Attempts to reach King for comment on Peters’ continued pursuit of the matter were unsuccessful.