High Court dismisses appeal

GEORGETOWN (CMC):

The court of Appeal yesterday unanimously dismissed an appeal against a ruling in a lower court and gave the appellants one day to decide on their next move as the challenges to the disputed March 2 regional and general elections seem now to be nearing an end.

The three-member panel also agreed that most of the challenges raised during the appeal heard last Saturday were res judicata, meaning that they were matters that had been adjudicated by a competent court and therefore may not be pursued further by the same parties.

Justice Dawn Gregory-Barnes agreed that the High Court could have exercised the jurisdiction that it did in smoothing out the process in analysing the roles that are to be performed under Article 177 (2) (b) Section 99 and Section 18 of the Election Laws Amendment Act.

“In my view, the jurisdiction was correctly exercised,” she said, “so I would dismiss the appeal, and my full reasons will be incorporated in my written judgment, and so I would dismiss the appeal of the appellant, as well as the fourth named respondent, the attorney general (Basil Williams, SC).”