After an eight-year legal battle, Dominica’s High Court has permanently stayed the incitement case against former United Workers Party (UWP) leaders, describing the proceedings as an abuse of process. This landmark ruling ends charges brought against Thomson Fontaine, Lennox Linton, and Edison James, all of whom faced accusations from a protest held in February 2017.
The charges were linked to a public meeting hosted by the UWP on Kennedy Avenue in Roseau, where the opposition called for the resignation of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit over the controversial Citizenship by Investment Programme. Following the meeting, incidents of vandalism were reported in the city, which led to the incitement charges against the political leaders.
In delivering the decision, Justice Colin Williams emphasized the unreasonable delay in the prosecution, noting the case languished in the system for nearly a decade, with no meaningful progress. The judge criticized the approach of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), citing the failure to present clear evidence to substantiate the charges. This lack of urgency and clarity ultimately led the court to rule the case as a breach of the defendants’ constitutional right to a fair trial within a reasonable time.
The defense team, led by senior attorneys Gilda Julien-Sorhaindo and Ronald Charles, welcomed the ruling, calling it a victory for justice and democracy in Dominica. They argued that the charges were politically motivated from the outset — a claim the judge acknowledged in his ruling.
Outside the courthouse, Dr. Thomson Fontaine, speaking on behalf of his co-accused, expressed relief but also deep disappointment in the weaponization of the judicial system to silence political dissent.
We lost eight years of our lives fighting fabricated charges designed to intimidate the opposition. This victory is not just ours, but for every Dominican who values democracy and free speech.
Dr. Thomson Fontaine, Leader of the United Workers Party
With the case now permanently dismissed, attention has shifted to the potential repercussions for the government and the Office of the DPP, particularly regarding compensation for the wrongful prosecution and the damage caused to the reputations of the accused.
This article is copyright © 2025 DOM767
