Attorney appeals, wants freezing order dismissed

ATTORNEY Varun Debideen has appealed a judge’s order that his bank account remain frozen until a claim filed by a Tacarigua-based company seeking to recover $7 million paid to a contractor for a failed construction project goes to trial.

Debideen’s attorneys filed the notice of appeal on Wednesday. It challenges the refusal by Justice Frank Seepersad to dismiss the attorney’s application to have the freezing order set aside.

On November 28, Seepersad said at this stage, there was no clarity on why $7 million belonging to Advance Hose and Marketing Ltd, of Ridgewood Heights, Tacarigua, was deposited into the account of contractor Cordell Philbert or how the money was to be used.

Advanced Hose and Marketing Ltd sought the injunction, claiming it had transferred $7 million to Philbert for a potential construction project in Guyana. The project did not materialise, and the company is seeking to recover its $7 million. The company first applied for disclosure of banking information, which allegedly showed Philbert transferred $6 million to Debideen’s Scotiabank account.

Debideen has denied wrongdoing and said he was only following the instructions of his client, Joash Ramjattan. Ramjattan is also named in the company’s claim.

Debideen said the money transferred into his account was a loan from Philbert to Ramjattan for a multi-million-dollar judgment debt. The judge questioned the agreement and said it defied common sense and was devoid of commercial logic.

Debideen’s notice of appeal contends the judge erred in law and was plainly wrong to dismiss his application to set aside the freezing order.

There are seven main grounds of complaint of Seepersad’s decision.

Debideen has asked that his appeal be expedited and allowed and Seepersad’s order set aside. He is represented by attorneys Kent Samlal, Umesh Maharaj and Nerisa Bala.