Dr. Henry Browne expresses confidence in ‘Green Card’ election petition

Dr. Henry Browne (right) and Mr. Cedric Liburd (photo by Erasmus Williams)

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JULY 27TH 2010 (CUOPM) – Dr. Henry Browne, lead counsel for former parliamentary representative, Mr. Cedric Liburd, is confident that he was successful in presenting a case that the Hon. Eugene Hamilton was not duly elected as he owes an acknowledgement, obedience, adherence and allegiance to the United States.

“He (Mr. Hamilton) has accepted a Legal Permanent Resident (Green Card) and he has that status and had that status on Nomination Day,” said Dr. Browne on the steps of the Lee Llewellyn Moore Judicial and Legal Services Complex at the end of the two day trial on Monday afternoon.

“Obviously, permanent is what it says…permanent. You cannot have two permanent residences. That smacks of divided loyalty. Your loyalty and commitment to the country must not be part time and as a legislator you must be full time,” said Dr. Browne.

“We (Petitioner) contend that the words of ‘acknowledge,’ ‘allegiance,’ ‘obedience,’ and ‘adherence’ to a foreign Power or State” is not limited to the application for and acquisition of a foreign passport. They are much wider in their spectrum and involves a number of species of different forms of conduct out of which one could cull the satisfaction for the terms ‘acknowledge,’ ‘allegiance,’ ‘obedience,’ and ‘adherence’ to a foreign State or Power,” said Dr. Browne.

Labour Party candidate and former government minister, Mr. Cedric Liburd said he was pleased with his petition filed in the High Court on February 5th 2010.

“I am pleased with the hearing over the past two days and that my lawyers were able to present the necessary evidence. We presented a case and it was a case that Mr. Hamilton answered,” said Mr. Liburd, who pointed out that Mr. Hamilton, following the directive of Justice Francis Belle, filed a United States Green Card as the foreign document that he held in his possession.

British Virgin Islands High Court Judge, Her Ladyship Justice Indra Hariprashard-Charles, heard closing arguments from dr. Browne, to which Mr. Terrence Bryon, Counsel for the Hon. Eugene Hamilton responded. Jamaican barrister, Dr. Lloyd Barnett, who appeared for the Hon. Attorney General also submitted relevant arguments to the Court.

The Judge has promised to deliver her judgement late August or early September just before the start of the new law term.