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GOB Attorney Says Ramlogan Tried To Pull A Fast One On Court Of Appeal
posted (March 4, 2025)
The lead attorney for the other side, the government side is Eamon Courtenay. He told the press via Zoom that Ramlogan made a fatal mis-step when he attempted to leapfrog the Court of Appeal because of the timeline they specified:

Eamon Courtenay, SC, Attorney for the AG
"He did not like the timing and the pace at which the court of appeal was setting his the procedural things that had to happen and so he jumped from there and went to the CCJ. But look at the obvious. All the court of appeal was saying is file evidence by this date, file submissions by this date and we will set a hearing date. What appeal could you conceivably make from that? What error of law, what conceivable can the CCJ say or the Court of Appeal was wrong? What he wanted the CCJ to do was to say to the Court of Appeal, you reorganized your business to suit Mr. Ramlogan's schedule, and I'm forcing you to do it. And the CCJ did dismiss it without merit."

Jules Vasquez
"I think the argument that he uses is that it is as if a man is to be hanged, a man or woman is to be hanged, and in the same way."

"The argument is democracy or the constitutional requirement for a free and fair election is about to be harmed. And that is the urgency or the alacrity with which he has been moving. That's his justification."

Eamon Courtenay, SC, Attorney for the AG
"But that is obviously wrong, Jules. You just have to listen to that and that is wrong. When a man is hung, you cannot "undead" him he is dead. And so courts will have to move in a particular way to ensure that someone is not killed by mistake. Where there is evidence or they have a ground of appeal. In this particular case. I repeat, Mr. Ramogan has not provided a single case where any Commonwealth court has stopped an election after the House has been dissolved. There is none and there have been attempts."

Jules Vasquez
"Is this the last chance that they have to try and block the election, which has been the earnest hope of Mr. Enriquez and his attorney, Mr. Ramlogan?"

Eamon Courtenay, SC, Attorney for the AG
"In my opinion, it is the last hope. There are directions given by the Court of Appeal, and the Court of Appeal is going to determine when it's going to entertain the case."

"I do not believe that the Court of Appeal is going to fall for what Mr. Ramlogan is attempting to do."

"There is a long and consistent line of cases in the Commonwealth that says when a Prime minister dissolves the National Assembly, it is time for the people to speak and courts will not restrain the holding of elections."

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