Timothy Harris’ Position on MoNC is “Nonsense”

(ZIZ)– Anthony Astaphan QC has said that Timothy Harris and his following are dead wrong on the fact that the substantive matter before the court in the Motion of No Confidence case has concluded and that the ruling of Justice Darshan Ramdani was the last word on the matter.

According to Astaphan, this position was “nonsense” as all that had really been decided at that stage was whether the court had jurisdiction in the matter.

“That’s nonsense! What was decided by the learning judge was an interlocutory judgement as to whether or not he has jurisdiction. If it was a final decision I would not have had to apply for leave, I had to apply for leave. It’s not the final judgement. In any event, the effect of that judgement without the appeal was that it would have to go back to the judge for the substantive hearing. Now it is precisely because we have to go back to the judge for the substantive hearing that we thought it important the Court of Appeal makes a ruling on the extent of the High Court, the judgement with these matters, that concern peculiar the procedures, powers and privileges of the national assembly,” Astaphan stated.

He stated emphatically that this was a serious matter which should not be trivialized. Astaphan said the office of the Speaker of the House and the integrity of the National Assembly had to be protected to avoid being held in disrepute.

He added, “These are very serious matters. Look, on the political platform people tend to trivialize these matters because they are looking for votes. I am not going to trivialize the case nor am I going to tell you anything else except to say that to protect the office of the Speaker of the House and to prevent and bringing the National Assembly into disrepute…it is imperative we get a ruling from the Court of Appeal as to the parameters of the law before we should go back to the judge on this substantive matter.”