Eugene Hamilton travels on foreign documents

Mr. Cedric Liburd

ST. KITTS, FEBRUARY 18TH 2010 (CUOPM) – The governing St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party candidate for St. Christopher 8, Mr. Cedric Liburd, is contending that his political opponent, Hon. Eugene Hamilton, has been travelling on foreign travel documents not issued by the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Mr. Liburd is challenging the election of Mr. Hamilton on the grounds that he was not qualified for Nomination on the 15th January 2010 and was disqualified as he was “a person who by his own act under an acknowledgement of allegiance and or obedience and or adherence to a foreign state or power namely the United States of America and or a citizen and thus was not qualified and was disqualified from being nominated, and from being elected and or returned as a Member of the National Assembly for the Electoral District/Constituency 8.”

He contends that Mr. Hamilton as an adult applied for, accepted and travelled on foreign travel documents or papers and a passport issued by the Government of the United States and that the acquisition of a foreign document (including a green card) and or passport of the United States required him to swear to an oath of allegiance and or acknowledge his allegiance to a foreign state or power, namely the United States.”

Mr. Liburd claims that Mr. Hamilton travelled from the Federation to the United States to Miami and Puerto Rico several times in 2008 and 2009 using travel documents with numbers A055211598 and 00158215 which were not issued by the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, but by a foreign power or State, namely the United States of America. He also travels on a passport BP01812 issued by the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Mr. Liburd further claims that Mr. Hamilton has never produced any certificate of renunciation issued by the State Department or other relevant authority of the United States of America as is required by and under the laws of the United States of America and was on Nomination Day still a citizen of or under an acknowledgement, obedience and or adherence to that country.

He prays for a determination that the nomination of Mr. Hamilton is invalid, null and void and no legal effect; that he was not qualified and was disqualified from being elected and that his election as a Member of Parliament be declared null and void and that the Petitioner (Mr. Cedric Liburd) was the only duly qualified and validly nominated on Nomination Day and was and is entitled to be returned to the National Assembly as the duly elected Member of Parliament.