ROSEAU:
The Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal Friday dismissed an appeal filed by the main opposition United Workers Party (UWP) challenging the ruling of the High Court to dismiss petitions the party had filed regarding the outcome of the December 2019 general election.
“The court today ruled unanimously that the appeal must be dismissed because there was no right of appeal …and interestingly enough, the court ordered that court must be paid to every single respondent excluding Hillary Shillingford and Wayne James… because they did not appear in the matter,” Senior Counsel Anthony Astaphan told reporters following the ruling.
The UWP has so far made no statement on the latest court ruling.
The UWP, which had been trounced 18-3 at the polls by the Dominica Labour Party (DLP), had filed petitions challenging the results in 10 constituencies won by the DLP in the election that regional and international observer teams had said reflected the will of the Dominican voter.
The DLP had termed the petitions “frivolous and vexatious” and asked the court to “strike out the petitions”.