BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - WITH the elections petition cases withdrawn, the legal challenges coming out of the June 5th General Elections are not yet over as the People’s Action Movement’s Minister of Housing, Eugene Hamilton, is now at the center of Private Criminal Charges.
Hamilton, who is the Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Eight, won that seat over the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party’s Dr. Terrance Drew.
And now, Dr. Drew has filed private criminal charges against Hamilton for what the medical practitioner believed were breaches of the regulation of the election.
In placing its support behind its Chairman, the SKNLP indicated that it “has consistently maintained that the General Elections held June 5, 2020, were conducted in a manner that was neither free, fair nor free from fear and represented a gross miscarriage of justice and democracy”.
In claims that cannot be substantiated by SKNVibes News, the SKNLP noted that “in the face of the rampant corruption, massive fraud, widespread irregularities and allegations of bribery that were exposed after an investigation into material and eyewitness accounts, we have pledged to our voters and supporters that the Party will not rest until it has pursued every lead, every piece of evidence and every witness willing to step forward until the will of the people prevails and democracy is restored to our blessed Federation”.
Despite those allegations, the CARICOM Observer Mission elections deemed the elections “free and fair”.
But the party, in its statement, noted that “over the last few months, the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party has carefully and deliberately considered the evidence in our possession and have sought legal advice domestically, regionally and internationally as to the best course of action to take in our quest to seek legal redress against the illegitimate Harris administration”.
Dr. Drew filed private criminal charges of “Treating” and “Bribery” in the Magistrate’s Court on Monday, November 30, 2020.
According to the SKNLP, the charges were filed based on substantive evidence in its possession, where it cited two instances that it claimed breached regulations Section 109 (a) and Section 108 (1)(c) of the National Assembly Elections Act, CAP 2.01 of the Revised Edition of the Laws of the Federation.
The Party claimed: (1) That on a date between May 28, 2020 and June 5, 2020 in Electoral District 8 in St. Kitts and before the General Election of June 5, 2020, Eugene Hamilton, corruptly and/or with the assistance of others, gave or provided food, drink and provisions styled as “COVID Care Packages” labeled with the insignia of the People’s Action Movement and with the words “Vote for Eugene Hamilton”;
(2) That on a date between May 29, 2020 and June 5, 2020 at John England Village in the Parish of St. Peter on St. Kitts, Eugene Hamilton unlawfully gave or procured the giving of a gift towards the construction of a house or part of a house to a resident of John England in order to influence the individual to vote for him to procure his return to the National Assembly in the June 5th General election.
These actions, as alleged, run contrary to Section 109 (a) and Section 108 (1)(c), respectively, of the National Assembly Elections Act, CAP 2.01 of the Revised Edition of the Laws of the Federation.
SKNVibes reached out to Minister Hamilton for a comment but was unsuccessful up to press time.
