DLP Attorney Tells High Court Judge to Strike out Election Petition Case

Senior Counsel Anthony Astaphan has petitioned High Court Judge Raulston Glasgow to strike out the election case brought by the UWP against the ruling government. The DLP lawyer told the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Justice that there is no merit in the election treating case instituted by the opposition against the DLP administration.

The UWP is contesting the winning results of the 2019 general elections, arguing that the DLP cheated in the 10 constituencies that make up the country. Represented by Cara Shillingford, the trio of Mervin John Baptiste, Antoine Defoe, and Edincot St. Valle with the support of the UWP is also seeking to invalidate the victory of the DLP in the 2014 general election where they claim the entire 15 elected DLP candidates were involved in treating before the election held.

During a virtual hearing on July 7, Justice Glasgow asked the petitioners to provide a summary of their case which was done on July 21. In their response, the DLP through attorney Anthony Astaphan urged the judge to quash the case, stating that the complainants failed to institute their case within the time-frame provided by the Elections Act.

The senior counsel noted that the petition should have been filed 21 days from the date of alleged offence in matters of alleged electoral frauds as stipulated by Dominican laws and statutes. 

Astaphan also contended that the petitioners filed their case wrongly, since they filed it under election treating instead of corrupt practices which provided for their allegations of bribery and importation of voters. He also added that the petitioners failed to mention any particular individual who was paid to vote by name, as well as the amount among other incontrovertible proofs to reinforce their allegations.

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