The main question is whether taxpayers dollars are being used.
Attorney-at-Law and Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram has expressed that legal representatives of the APNU/AFC are deliberately abusing the court system to drag out the electoral process, and hence, to prevent the duly elected government from being installed.
According to Ram, during an interview with Kaieteur Radio, if it is indeed the case that the treasury would have to foot this huge legal bill, this is against basic fundamental democratic practices, especially since the majority of citizens are against the actions being taken by the coalition to prevent credible elections results from being declared.
Ram asked: “Is the APNU/AFC paying their legal bills, or are we, taxpayers, paying those bills?”
In this regard Ram declared: “Governments do not contest elections, political parties do.”
Ram noted that Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, was also made a party to the recount case, “and as immoral as it is” the cost would have to be borne by the State.
The outspoken activist said that government’s chief legal advisor, Basil Williams, claims that he was involved in the matter to protect the Constitution, but “I am not sure how confident we should be to have someone like Basil Williams protect our Constitution.”
According to the Attorney, it is clear that the saga of these election cases will themselves be the subject of an investigation. “That investigation may very recommend some form of criminal action.”
Among her decisions handed down in the Misenga Jones v GECOM et al matter on Monday, Chief Justice Roxane George contended that the only valid results standing are those from the national recount and hence those are the figures that must be used as the basis for a declaration of the winner of the March 2, polls.
The CJ dismissed Jones’ application for judicial review since most, if not all, of the 28 reliefs she sought from the court were already litigated in previous matters brought by the Coalition in the cases of Ulita Moore and Eslyn David.
But moments after the CJ ruled, the APNU/AFC through its legal representative, Roysdale Forde, indicated that the coalition will appeal the decisions.
However, several stakeholders have expressed disgust at the decision of the coalition since these issues were already litigated by the COA and subsequently the CCJ. The CJ, in her ruling on Monday largely based her decisions on the Court of Appeal’s ruling in Eslyn David as well as in Ulita Moore, and on the CCJ ruling in Eslyn David case.
Ram posited that both Roysdale Forde and Basil Williams are carrying out the agenda of APNU/AFC’s “strongman Joseph Harmon” in spite of all the evidence showing that the coalition has lost power.
According to Ram, there are enough people in the country, “including the Chancellor, and the head of the Defence Force that will not allow an unlawful government to stay in place.”
The PPP/C has won the elections convincingly by over 15,000 votes, but caretaker President Granger and his APNU/AFC have largely remained unmoved to the mounting calls to step aside and allow for a smooth transition of government.
