The APNU+AFC is to be blamed for its failed elections petition, this is according to Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall SC. Nandlall made the comments during his weekly program on Tuesday, Issues in the News.
The Coalition brought two elections petition to the High Court challenging the results of March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections. One of that petition, 99 which challenge the results of the elections, have been struck out by the CJ after the Leader of the List, David Granger was not properly served on time. However, petition 99, which deals with Order 66 or the National Recount Order will be going forward.
The AG noted that the Coalition has since been engaged in attempts to spread misinformation on the matter, “APNU+AFC has no one to blame but themselves, their lawyers. There is no one other than the lawyers who were involved in the matter, must accept responsibility for the plight of that petition. It tells a story of incompetence, lack of discipline, lack of focus and tells a story that evil shall never prevail over good and that was borne out by the ruling of the honorable Chief Justice,” he said.
The AG said he wanted the case to move forward so that the Opposition could have been proven wrong, but the Opposition failed on a basic procedural issue.
“I remember sitting here and saying that election laws are not ordinary laws of the land. That when you are filing an elections petition, you are invoking a special jurisdiction of the court that is 500 years old. Jurisdiction of the court that is exercised with unique and different rules and principles.”
Mr. Granger was served on September 25, 202 outside the timeframe stipulated for him to be served. The Party then served a supplementary affidavit on Mr. Granger stating that he was served on time, but a later date was singed, by mistake. That affidavit was rejected by the CJ. The party then sought to argue that Granger was not a proper party in the case. That too was rejected by the CJ.
Extracted from DPI.
