Former Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith has been awarded $200,000 in damages after successfully suing writer and current affairs blogger Rhoda Bharath for defamation in the High Court of Trinidad and Tobago.
The ruling was delivered on February 6, 2026, by Justice Betsy Ann Lambert Peterson in Claim No. CV2023-02823.
Griffith brought the claim in relation to statements published on Bharath’s Facebook page “Newssauce” on July 18, 19, 25 and 26, 2023. The publications included livestream broadcasts and posts in which statements were made concerning Griffith.
According to the judgment, Griffith argued that the statements were false, malicious and defamatory and caused harm to his personal and professional reputation. At the time of the trial, the Court noted that Griffith is a former Commissioner of Police, former Senator and Minister of National Security, and political leader of the National Transformation Alliance.
The Court found that the allegations made against him were grave and serious and included imputations of criminal conduct. Justice Lambert Peterson also noted the extent of the publication, stating that the posts were accessible to Facebook users and anyone with internet access.
In assessing damages, the Court awarded $200,000 in general damages inclusive of an uplift for aggravated damages. Interest was ordered at a rate of 2.5 percent per annum from July 28, 2023 to February 6, 2026.
The Court considered several factors when awarding aggravated damages, including the seriousness of the allegations, the wide reach of the publications, and that the defendant knew or ought to have known she could not substantiate the claims. The Court also noted that some statements were made shortly after an agreement to issue an apology.
The Court declined to award exemplary damages. While Bharath admitted under cross-examination that her online following increased after the posts, the Court found no evidence that she gained any tangible financial benefit from them.
As part of the relief granted, the Court ordered that an unqualified apology be issued and published in a proportionate manner to the defamatory statements. A written retraction stated:
“I acknowledge that the statements I made about him caused harm to Gary Griffith’s personal and or professional reputation. I hereby fully retract those statements without reservation. I sincerely apologize to Gary Griffith for the distress, embarrassment, and reputational damage caused by my publication. I confirm that the allegations previously made are withdrawn in their entirety.”
The Court also ordered publication of a previous Court Order dated June 26, 2023 on both the defendant’s personal Facebook page and her public page, Newssauce.
The issue of costs is to be addressed separately by the Court.
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