Who will hear the elections petitions case brought on the by United Workers Party (UWP) against 10 sitting parliamentarians of the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) is the million-dollar question being asked right now.
One of the two sitting judges in Dominica, Justice Bernie Stephenson, has recused herself from the matter because she has been labeled as “unfair and bias and not capable of delivering a credible judgment” according to the opposition leader, Lennox Linton.
Naturally, it stands to reason that the other resident judge on the island, Justice Wynante Adrien Roberts, would hear the matter. However, it appears that this may not be so and all indications point to the realization that a new judge from outside the jurisdiction may be brought in.
This latest development has come about because Attorney General Levi Peter, has written to Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) Dame Janice Pereira asking that another judge be assigned to hear the matter in the interest of justice. The letter, dated 9th June 2020, states that Justice Adrien-Roberts may be highly familiar with persons who are interested in these petitions and applications to strike, having worked as Solicitor General and in private practice before her elevation to the bench.
See full contents of letter from Attorney General, Levi Peter.
