Acting accountant withdraws lawsuit against Trade Ministry

An assistant accountant with the Betting Levy Board (BLB) has withdrawn her lawsuit against the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

However, Nalita Radhay’s claim for just under $140,000 for breach of contract in the payment of acting and travel allowances will proceed against the BLB and will come up for its first case-management hearing on September 26, before Justice Devindra Rampersad.

She was ordered to pay the ministry’s costs of $2,050 after receiving permission to withdraw her claim against it.

The State had applied to have the claim struck out since the ministry was not the proper party, since it was not her employer. The application said while the ministry was the reporting ministry for the BLV, there was no day-to-day relationship between the two entities, nor did the board need to seek its approval for expenditure.

The ministry was represented by attorneys Stefan Jaikaran and Gayatri Dass.

In her lawsuit, Radhay said she served as acting accountant on several occasions between 2010 and 2018, whenever the accountant went on leave, and an agreement was made for her to receive her acting allowance.

In 2021, she acted again and was still in the position up until she filed her lawsuit in June 2023, but had not been paid her allowance. In 2023, when she was offered the position of acting accountant, she refused, since she had not yet received her money.

Radhay’s lawsuit said she is owed a total of $138,278. She wants damages and an apology from the BLB.