Chung counts on Supreme Court review

MANDEVILLE, Manchester:

Having lost one vote in the magisterial count and enduring what he describes as the mishandling of voting, Manchester Central independent candidate Rohan Chung says he will be seeking justice in the Supreme Court.

But not before he clears the legal fees of his opposing candidates, which amount to approximately $2.4 million.

Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate Rhoda Crawford, represented by attorneys Tova Hamilton, Maurice Smith, and Charles Benbow, under the instruction of Carolyn Chuck, had her team serve a cost order on Chung of just over $2.2 million.

Chung was also served with costs of $150,000 by Mandeville Councillor Jones Oliphant, who represented Peter Bunting.

If the fees are not paid, Chung could face a possible lawsuit. However, Crawford told the media that negotiations would have to be concluded out of court.

The results, following the close of count on Monday, reflected 50 votes more for PNP candidate Peter Bunting, who secured an overall 6,989 votes, but not enough to gain the win over Crawford.

Crawford secured 8,139 votes, 53 fewer than the results from the previous recount.

Chung left with 48 votes.

The political aspirant said he chose to exercise his right to file for a magisterial count because he felt short-changed.

“There were a lot of irregularities that were cause for concern. I will definitely be seeking a judicial review in the Supreme Court ... . I feel this recount was handled very, very, very badly,” he said.

Crawford believes that the laws governing the magisterial recount ought to be changed to avoid unnecessary inconveniences.

“ ... It was the constitutional right of the candidate to file for a magisterial recount. I, however, think that perhaps the time has come for us to look at when, and how, the conditions under which magisterial recounts can be filed.”

It is expected that all members of parliament-elect will be sworn in today.