...Anthony denies submission of bio page
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, Apr. 20.2018 – THE case involving Dr. Denzil Douglas’ eligibility to sit in the National Assembly as an elected Representative owing to his Dominican diplomatic passport, has again been adjourned.
The case was called this morning before Justice Trevor Ward QC, and was scheduled to hear arguments over expert witnesses. Following the first hearing of the case in February, the government had asked for an adjournment to locate an expert witness to testify in the case.
But at today’s sitting, the government did not submit its witness, instead asked the court for leave to argue whether expert evidence is needed in the case.
Attorney for the defendant, Sylvester Anthony, reminded that the case was previously adjourned to today’s date for the purposes of hearing an application by the attorney general.
“We had also agreed, that perhaps, that we will also file an application for an expert witness. The attorney general filed no such application, perhaps because he cannot find an expert witness to argue the foolishness that he is trying to argue. We on the other hand filed an application for an expert witness.”
Instead, according to Anthony, the AG asked the court to make a ruling on whether or not an expert witness is admissible in the case, and whether the court has jurisdiction to hear such evidence.
Anthony denied media reports that Dr. Douglas was given seven days to provide the judge with the bio page of the diplomatic passport, instead, he explained that the defense team indicated to the court that they will provide the judge in writing, the places to which Dr. Douglas travelled on the said passport.
“Before today, the attorney general filed an application for disclosure. In other words, he sought an order of the court to compel Dr. Douglas to produce the diplomatic passport to them. We uphold that application on the grounds that the court has no jurisdiction to compel Dr. Douglas to produce the diplomatic passport. However, we agreed to provide to them in writing the number of times Dr. Douglas used the passport and the countries he travelled to.”
Further, he stated that they offered to supply the information within seven days, debunking claims made public in several quarters. At some point, thereafter the passport will be supplied to the judge.
“The judge didn’t make any such order, we agreed to do that,” Anthony affirmed.
“This case is not going to be won by the best propagandist or story teller. It is going to be won by the best law and legal arguments. The propaganda that is going around does not reflect what happened in Court this morning, although it is perhaps the sign of a desperate administration, and a desperate attorney general."
The next hearing is scheduled for May 30.
