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Abe Dabdoub, whose legal action in 2007 led to the disqualification of Daryl Vaz as the Portland Western member of parliament, said he will be heading to the courts again on Monday to ascertain the veracity of Vaz's citizenship.
Dabdoub made known his plan Friday after Vaz was again nominated as the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate for the seat in the March 23 court-ordered by-election.
Dabdoub, who lost the seat to Vaz in the September 2007 general elections, asked Director of Elections Orette Fisher if he had ascertained whether Vaz is now a Jamaican citizen.
VAZ... went to US Embassy in Kingston in April 2008 to start the process of renouncing his American citizenship
Dabdoub's query was in reference to Vaz's much-publicised act of going to the US Embassy in Kingston to start the process of renouncing his American citizenship in April 2008.
Vaz took the action after Chief Justice Zaila McCalla, on reviewing an election petition brought by Dabdoub, ruled that Vaz was not qualified to sit in the Parliament because he held dual citizenship at the time of the elections. But McCalla also handed Dabdoub his first defeat in the long-running court battle by throwing out his bid to be awarded the seat and ordering a by-election.
Dabdoub had argued that the election was void because Vaz was not qualified to be nominated.
After McCalla's ruling, Dabdoub took the case to the Appeal Court which upheld the chief justice's decision. The court also said it would deliver its written judgement at a later date.
DABDOUB... just because he says he is Jamaican, what is the evidence of that?
On Friday, Dabdoub, a former member of the JLP, signalled that he did not believe that Vaz had renounced his US citizenship.
"You can't just take his word for it," Dabdoub told the Sunday Observer. "It was the same thing that happened in the 2007 general elections. Just because he says he is Jamaican, what is the evidence of that?"
Asked to comment on Dabdoub's query, Fisher said the matter was one for the courts.
"Mr Dabdoub is well within his rights to go to courts," Fisher told the Sunday Observer.
Dabdoub said the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) should have asked for proof of citizenship.
"And I am saying that they wrong because I showed them that Section 27 (3) of the Representation of the People Act gives the returning officer the right to reject a nomination for non-compliance with the Act," said Dabdoub, who is an attorney. "It's a pity that the Appeal Court hasn't given its judgement in writing, because had they done so, I don't think the Electoral Office could adopt the stupidity that Walker insisted on."
His reference was to a statement issued by then Director of Elections Danville Walker after nominations for the 2007 general elections that Vaz was properly nominated.
Walker issued the statement after Dabdoub sent out a notice to West Portland voters warning them that a vote for Vaz would be a vote wasted.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/..._TO_COURT_.asp
Dabdoub made known his plan Friday after Vaz was again nominated as the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate for the seat in the March 23 court-ordered by-election.
Dabdoub, who lost the seat to Vaz in the September 2007 general elections, asked Director of Elections Orette Fisher if he had ascertained whether Vaz is now a Jamaican citizen.
VAZ... went to US Embassy in Kingston in April 2008 to start the process of renouncing his American citizenship Dabdoub's query was in reference to Vaz's much-publicised act of going to the US Embassy in Kingston to start the process of renouncing his American citizenship in April 2008.
Vaz took the action after Chief Justice Zaila McCalla, on reviewing an election petition brought by Dabdoub, ruled that Vaz was not qualified to sit in the Parliament because he held dual citizenship at the time of the elections. But McCalla also handed Dabdoub his first defeat in the long-running court battle by throwing out his bid to be awarded the seat and ordering a by-election.
Dabdoub had argued that the election was void because Vaz was not qualified to be nominated.
After McCalla's ruling, Dabdoub took the case to the Appeal Court which upheld the chief justice's decision. The court also said it would deliver its written judgement at a later date.
DABDOUB... just because he says he is Jamaican, what is the evidence of that? On Friday, Dabdoub, a former member of the JLP, signalled that he did not believe that Vaz had renounced his US citizenship.
"You can't just take his word for it," Dabdoub told the Sunday Observer. "It was the same thing that happened in the 2007 general elections. Just because he says he is Jamaican, what is the evidence of that?"
Asked to comment on Dabdoub's query, Fisher said the matter was one for the courts.
"Mr Dabdoub is well within his rights to go to courts," Fisher told the Sunday Observer.
Dabdoub said the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) should have asked for proof of citizenship.
"And I am saying that they wrong because I showed them that Section 27 (3) of the Representation of the People Act gives the returning officer the right to reject a nomination for non-compliance with the Act," said Dabdoub, who is an attorney. "It's a pity that the Appeal Court hasn't given its judgement in writing, because had they done so, I don't think the Electoral Office could adopt the stupidity that Walker insisted on."
His reference was to a statement issued by then Director of Elections Danville Walker after nominations for the 2007 general elections that Vaz was properly nominated.
Walker issued the statement after Dabdoub sent out a notice to West Portland voters warning them that a vote for Vaz would be a vote wasted.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/..._TO_COURT_.asp
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