Vaz to testify today

[Karl]

Vaz to testify today
published: Tuesday | January 8, 2008


Vaz
Jamaica Labour Party Member of Parliament, Daryl Vaz, is expected to testify today at the hearing of the election petition in the Supreme Court.

Vaz is the respondent in the petition which People's National Party candidate Abe Dabdoub has brought, contending that Vaz is an American citizen and is not entitled to be an MP.

Yesterday, Director of Elections Danville Walker, who Vaz called as a witness, completed his evidence under cross-examination.

Attorney-at-law John Vassell, from the law firm DunnCox, turned up in court yesterday and announced that he was there to represent the Electoral Office. He said he was also there to see that Walker was not asked any undue or irrelevant questions or anything that would cause him embarrassment.

Lawyers doing a good job
Chief Justice Zaila McCalla remarked that Vaz's lawyer Ransford Braham and government lawyer Nicole Foster-Pusey were already there doing a good job. The judge told Vassell that he could sit in the matter but he could not intervene.

Mr. Braham is to inform the court today when American expert lawyer George Crimarco will be available to return to court for further cross-examination.

Walker was cross-examined yesterday about a notice he received about Vaz's disqualification in relation to allegiance to a foreign power. Walker said he agreed that, as director of elections, his duties did not include making statements on the law.

Dabdoub is contending that because Vaz has U.S. citizenship, he is in breach of the Constitution of Jamaica and is not entitled to be a MP because he has pledged allegiance to a foreign power.

[Gamma]

nice mug shot...nice and shady...

[Sickko]

Hope he does not lose his cool and tell the judge and lawyers bout dem mumma...

[Gamma]

hope springs eternal....is really a cast of comic characters. jalil dabdoub....oh bwoy. i wonder if jalil have a green card or us passport? if memory serves right he went to UM law school.....maybe UM undergrad too.

[Karl]

Vaz: I will not bear arms against Jamaica

Vaz: I will not bear arms against Jamaica
published: Thursday | January 10, 2008

Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter

Vaz
Jamaica Member of Parliament Daryl Vaz said yesterday that he would give up his United States citizenship in the event of a war between Jamaica and the United States (U.S.).

"I was born in Jamaica, I live in Jamaica and my loyalty is to Jamaica," Vaz said under cross-examination in the Supreme Court.

He said further that he was a U.S. citizen by virtue of his mother and stressed that "My loyalty is to the land of my birth, Jamaica."
He was responding to the questions posed by attorney-at-law Gayle Nelson, as to whether, in the event of a war between the two nations, he would be prepared to bear arms against Jamaica.

"You are not prepared to give up your U.S. citizenship here to become a Member of Parliament?" Mr. Nelson asked.

No relevance
Vaz's lawyer, Ransford Bra-ham, objected to the question on the grounds that it was of no relevance before the court, and was only being asked for the purpose of creating headlines in the newspaper.

Vaz is the respondent in the election petition which People's National Party candidate Abe Dabdoub has brought in the Supreme Court, contending that Vaz is an American citizen and was not entitled to be a Member of Parliament because that was a breach of the Constitution of Jamaica.

Yesterday, Vaz admitted he travelled extensively on his American passport. Asked if at anytime previous to the general election of September 2007 he had renounced his U.S. citizenship, he replied "Absolutely not."

He said he contested the local government election (some years ago) and was successful, but he did not renounce his U.S. citizenship and, since that time, he took the decision to apply for a new U.S. passport. Asked if that was the decision he preferred to take, rather than to renounce his U.S. citizenship, he replied "That is correct."

No oath taken
It was suggested to Vaz that the application for his current U.S. passport was verified by an oath or affirmation. However, he said he could not recall. He said he had never taken an oral oath of allegiance and could not recall if he signed an oath in applying for any U.S. passport.

He said he agreed that, as a U.S. citizen, in return for the protection from the U.S. government, he had some obligations to the U.S. He said he believed the obligations included not to commit an act of treason against the U.S. and not to conspire to overthrow the U.S. government.
barbara.gayle@gleanerjm.com

[Baddaz]

vaz willing to renounce us citizenship...

Vaz willing to renounce US citizenship, bear arms for J'ca
Paul Henry
Thursday, January 10, 2008


DARYL Vaz said yesterday that he would be willing to renounce his United States citizenship and bear arms for Jamaica should war break out between both countries.

Vaz made the solemn proclamation on day two of his cross examination from Attorney Gayle Nelson, who is representing the People's National Party's Abe Dabdoub in his bid to have Vaz disqualified as the MP for West Portland, on grounds that he had sworn allegiance to the US.

Yesterday said Vaz 'yes' when asked if he was aware that his obligation as a US citizen compelled him to not bear arms against or conspire to overthrow the US.

Asked if he was aware that he was also under obligation to not bear arms against Jamaica, Vaz replied, "I think so."

"Are you aware that you would be in a difficult place in the event that war broke out between Jamaica and the United States?" Gayle asked.

"I was born in Jamaica, lived in Jamaica and is also a US citizen by virtue of my mother. My loyalty is to Jamaica - the land of my birth," Vaz answered.

Gayle asked: "In the event of a war between Jamaica and the United States would you be willing to bear arms against the US?" to which Vaz answered, ". I would be willing to give up my (US) citizenship for the land of my birth."

"But you are not willing to give up your US citizenship to become a member of parliament of Jamaica?" Gayle lashed back.

Vaz' attorney quickly objected to the question, noting that it was "argumentative", was not a proper question and "designed for "tomorrow's (today's) headline in the media".
Chief Justice Zaila McCalla agreed.

Dabdoub, who began his bid to have Vaz disqualified following his defeat in the September 3, 2007 general elections, is asking the court to name him the duly elected representative of the constituency.