| Bernadette Lawrence Last Witness in Election Petition Trial |
| By L.K. Hewlett |
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Jan. 25 -- The testimony of Registration Officer, Bernadette Lawrence closed out the evidence in the Election Petition trial currently underway in Nevis.
Lawrence took the stand on Monday (Jan. 23), the second respondent to testify in the charged political case. Lawrence was represented by Arudranauth Gossai, Sylvester Anthony and Anthony Astaphan.
The other respondents in the petition brought by CCM’s Deputy Leader Hon. Mark Brantley are: Minister of Culture Hon. Hensley Daniel represented by Dr. Henry Browne; Premier Hon. Joseph Parry represented by Oral Martin; Electoral officials Kelvin Daley and Election Supervisor Leroy Benjamin being represented by Arudranauth Gossai, Sylvester Anthony and Anthony Astaphan; the Electoral Commission - Hesketh Benjamin, Myrna Walwyn and William Dore- being represented by Dennis Merchant; and Attorney General Patrice Nisbett who is represented by Solicitor General John Tyne.
Lead counsel for the petitioner, Douglas Mendes SC questioned Lawrence about her duties and responsibilities as Registration Officer. He charged that Lawrence removed persons’ names from the voters’ list despite possessing evidence that some of the notices of objection hearings were sent out late and for some 60 persons, after the hearings were to have been held. According to the Electoral Laws, voters are to receive 5 days’ notice if their names are objected to.
“You knew they [notices] weren’t registered until the 27th-28th April for objection hearings on April 29th…You knew the objectees could not have received the notices in time for the hearings. The posting lists tells you that for hearings on the 29th of April, packages [with notices of objections] were still at the post office on May 4th…That means that no matter when they received the notice they could not have known when the hearing was to show up,” said Mendes, adding that some persons received objection notices with no hearing date.
Lawrence conceded Mendes’ point and explained that once the notices had been taken to the Post Office within 5 days of the hearings, she had done her duty as prescribed by law. She did however admit that she was aware that persons would have received notices after the hearing date and that she did not issue fresh notices or consult her superiors as to how she should handle the matters. Lawrence did explain that the volume of objections and securing another date for hearings prevented her from sending out fresh notices.
Mendes provided an alternate explanation. “You knew election was coming and you knew that if you sent out fresh notices you could not take persons off the list.”
Lawrence denied knowing an election was imminent. She maintained that she carried out her duties as prescribed by law with regard the writing and sending out of objection notices and in conducting objection hearings and removing voters' names from the list used in the July 11, 2011 NIA elections which the NRP won 3-2.
Justice Lionel Jones will hear oral submissions today (Wednesday) from Mendes, Lead Counsel for the respondents Anthony Astaphan and also from Dr. Henry Browne. |
