This time there was no “court drama,” no closing of roads, no crowds and no police officers lined up outside the courtroom as the variating of bail conditions for Dr. Thomson Fontaine was being dealt with.
Ronald Charles, one of the lawyers on record for Dr. Fontaine told the court that his client is employed in South Sudan as “Deputy Chief of Staff and consultant to the government of South Sudan” and must be back at work on May 12, 2022.
“He is working overseas and needs to go back to work, we have provided the court with his letter of employment and his travel itinerary for out of Dominica and his return date back to Dominica on July 19, 2022,” Charles told the court.
The prosecution then told the court that they were “not objecting to the variation of his bail conditions.”
Former Chief Magistrate Gail Royer continues to stand as surety, and she told the court that she was not opposed to his bail conditions being varied for his travel purposes. She was also reminded of the risk factors involved but maintained that she will remain as his surety.
Dr. Fontaine is charged with obstruction and alleged incitement in February 2017 and failed to appear in court as he was summoned to do so. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest and on his arrival at the Douglas/Charles Airport in April, he was arrested on the strength of the Bench Warrant.
State attorney Marie-Louise Pierre Louis attached to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) appeared on behalf of the State in the matter.
Magistrate Michael Laudat then informed Charles, that his request for a variation in the bail conditions of Dr. Thomson Fontaine was “granted.”
The decision of the Court
Dr. Fontaine is to collect his travel documents at the Court’s office in Roseau on May 9, 2022
He is permitted to travel on May 10, 2022
He is to return his travel documents back to the court no later than July 26, 2022
His reporting conditions are suspended from May 10, 2022, until July 28, 2022
He is to surrender to the jurisdiction of the court on August 8, 2022
Any breaches of the conditions imposed may result in a revocation of his bail conditions.
The matter was adjourned to August 8, 2022.