Court has jurisdiction to hear Region Four verification suit – Chief Justice

By Oluatoyin Alleyne On In Guyana News |
Members of the police force positioned at security barriers around the High Court yesterday for Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire’s ruling on whether the court had jurisdiction to hear the Region Four vote count suit.
Members of the police force positioned at security barriers around the High Court yesterday for Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire’s ruling on whether the court had jurisdiction to hear the Region Four vote count suit.

The High Court will hear arguments on a suit seeking full verification of the vote for Region Four at last Monday’s general and regional elections at 3pm tomorrow after acting Chief Justice (CJ) Roxane George-Wiltshire ruled yesterday that the court has jurisdiction to hear the matter.

The case was brought by a supporter of the PPP/C. Speaking to a packed and hushed courtroom yesterday afternoon, the acting Chief Justice said that there are aspects of the application such as whether Charles Ramson was recognised as a counting agent of the PPP/C, whether an application for a final count of District Four was accepted or not, and whether what the applicant says are State-ments of Poll (SOPs) he has in his possession have correct tabulations, which are not for a case such as the one before her and her initial view of those issues was that it would have been better canvassed in an election petition.

As such, she said, out of an abundance of caution, she did not rely on any of that evidence in coming to a decision.