APNU/AFC’s 2nd dismissed election petition: Management conference set for Dec. 7

A case management hearing into the APNU/AFC’s second election petition appeal, which challenges the 2020 General and Regional Elections, has been fixed for December 7 at 9:30h.

This date was set when the case was called this morning before Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards and Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud.

Last month, the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of a motion filed by Roysdale Forde, SC – the lawyer representing the petitioners Claudette Thorne and Heston Bostwick - to hear the matter expeditiously.

The petition sought to have the results of the March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections invalidated on the ground of serious non-compliance with the Constitution and electoral laws.

But Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, SC, on April 26, 2021, dismissed the Coalition’s second election petition after she found that the petitioners failed to present evidence to support that the conduct of the elections contravened the Constitution and electoral laws.

Dissatisfied with Justice George’s ruling, in June 2021, Forde filed an appeal. But in August of this year, Forde filed a motion calling for his party’s appeal to be heard swiftly.

Only a few weeks ago, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) overturned the decision of the Appeal Court, in which it took jurisdiction to hear election petition 99, which was dismissed for non-service.

That petition challenged the results of the March 2, 2020, General & Regional Elections and seeks to have Granger declared the duly elected President.