CCJ to Rule on Guyana Opposition Appeal Next Week

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will rule on July 8 whether or not it has jurisdiction to hear an appeal filed by two senior members of the main Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) in relation to a Court of Appeal ruling regarding the disputed March 2 regional and general election in that country.

“We also appreciate the need for expedition on our part. Naturally, we would want to read and assimilate all the submissions that have been made and the authorities as best as we can and try to juxtapose the need to do that with the need for expedition,” Justice Adrian Saunders, the CCJ president, said at the end of a day of oral submissions by all the lawyers involved in the matter.

He said that all five judges on the panel had already consulted among themselves “and we are optimistic that we will give a judgement in this matter next Wednesday at 3:00 pm… that is the 8th of July,” he added.

Guyana’s Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and Irfaan Ali, the PPP/C presidential candidate, filed the appeal before the CCJ for several reliefs, including an interpretation of the words “more votes are cast” in Article 177(2)(b) of the Constitution of Guyana.

The Court of Appeal in its decision late last month ordered that the words are to be interpreted as meaning “more valid votes are cast”. The court also ordered the decision be stayed for three days. The applicants, who were added as respondents before the Court of Appeal, claim that the decision was wrong for many reasons, including that the Court of Appeal did not have the jurisdiction to hear and determine the Notice of Motion.

Read mire at: Jamaica Observer

Source: CARICOM TODAY