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Brown Burke awaits renunciation papers
Published: Friday January 20, 2012 | 12:53 pm
Angela Brown-Burke took the oath of allegiance to become a member of the Senate on Tuesday - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer.
Daraine Luton, Senior Staff Reporter
The Deputy President of the Senate, Angela Brown Burke, does not have a certificate of loss of citizenship to prove that she has renounced her United States citizenship.
On Wednesday, Brown Burke told The Gleaner that at a convenient time, she would display the documents, which prove she has lost her US citizenship.
But in a statement today, the People's National Party vice-president said she was not yet in possession of those documents.
"On December, 19, 2011, I met with a US lawyer to discuss the process of renunciation. Later that week I contacted the Embassy to begin the process and the relevant documents were sent to me," Brown Burke wrote.
She continued: "I visited the US Embassy having filled out the forms and went the through the counselling session that is required as part of the process.
"I returned on January 11, 2012 and took the Oath of renunciation and returned my US passport along with the Certificate of Naturalisation, which I had obtained on January 11, 1995.
"I await the receipt of the Certificate of loss of Citizenship, which becomes effective as at January 11, 2012."
Under the Constitution of Jamaica, no person, who by his own act, is under the acknowledgement of allegiance or obedience to a foreign power shall sit in the Parliament.
Brown Burke took the oath of allegiance as Senator on Tuesday and was also elected deputy president.
"I am qualified as expressed in section 39 of the Constitution and I am not disqualified as reflected under section 40 (2) of the Constitution," she told The Gleaner.
"I renounced well in advance of my appointment and the decision made to recommend me for appointment as senator. That is as far as I am prepared to say at this point," Brown Burke added.
Asked to clarify whether what she describes as renouncing means that she has started a process or that she has received documents from the US embassy indicating that she is not longer a citizen, Brown Burke was non-committal.
"I won't do your work for you... the laws are very clear in the United States in terms of the steps to be taken. You go and you look and you can tell from your own research, the process and the effect of renunciation," she said.
The Gleaner yesterday, by e-mail, sought clarification from the United States embassy as to whether the acts carried out by Brown Burke is sufficient for renunciation.
A response has not yet been received.
daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com
Published: Friday January 20, 2012 | 12:53 pm
Angela Brown-Burke took the oath of allegiance to become a member of the Senate on Tuesday - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer.
Daraine Luton, Senior Staff Reporter
The Deputy President of the Senate, Angela Brown Burke, does not have a certificate of loss of citizenship to prove that she has renounced her United States citizenship.
On Wednesday, Brown Burke told The Gleaner that at a convenient time, she would display the documents, which prove she has lost her US citizenship.
But in a statement today, the People's National Party vice-president said she was not yet in possession of those documents.
"On December, 19, 2011, I met with a US lawyer to discuss the process of renunciation. Later that week I contacted the Embassy to begin the process and the relevant documents were sent to me," Brown Burke wrote.
She continued: "I visited the US Embassy having filled out the forms and went the through the counselling session that is required as part of the process.
"I returned on January 11, 2012 and took the Oath of renunciation and returned my US passport along with the Certificate of Naturalisation, which I had obtained on January 11, 1995.
"I await the receipt of the Certificate of loss of Citizenship, which becomes effective as at January 11, 2012."
Under the Constitution of Jamaica, no person, who by his own act, is under the acknowledgement of allegiance or obedience to a foreign power shall sit in the Parliament.
Brown Burke took the oath of allegiance as Senator on Tuesday and was also elected deputy president.
"I am qualified as expressed in section 39 of the Constitution and I am not disqualified as reflected under section 40 (2) of the Constitution," she told The Gleaner.
"I renounced well in advance of my appointment and the decision made to recommend me for appointment as senator. That is as far as I am prepared to say at this point," Brown Burke added.
Asked to clarify whether what she describes as renouncing means that she has started a process or that she has received documents from the US embassy indicating that she is not longer a citizen, Brown Burke was non-committal.
"I won't do your work for you... the laws are very clear in the United States in terms of the steps to be taken. You go and you look and you can tell from your own research, the process and the effect of renunciation," she said.
The Gleaner yesterday, by e-mail, sought clarification from the United States embassy as to whether the acts carried out by Brown Burke is sufficient for renunciation.
A response has not yet been received.
daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com
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