Former Dominica prime minister Edison James was launched on EC$50,000 bail on Friday, spending an estimated 20 minutes in a holding cell in a Justice of the Peace’s court docket after he was dedicated to face trial within the Excessive Courtroom on a cost of incitement.
The 80-year-old is charged with “encouraging, persuading, or instigating by phrases, inflicting individuals to jeopardise the protection or endanger the general public peace,” following a United Staff Social gathering (UWP) assembly on February 7,2017, at which calls had been made for the resignation of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.
ames, who served as prime minister between 1995-2000, has been on the centre of the alleged incitement case that additionally contains former opposition chief Lennox Linton and the present UWP chief and economist, Dr Thomson Fontaine.
Justice of the Peace Michael Laudat dismissed a no-case submission that had been filed on behalf of James, who later informed a radio viewers that “I all the time anticipated the Justice of the Peace to ship this matter to the Excessive Courtroom.
“I all the time anticipated him to try this. I mentioned to him immediately that I don’t consider it’s acceptable for a Justice of the Peace on contract to deal with extremely political circumstances because the case involving me,” James mentioned, including “he’s beneath stress and I didn’t anticipate him to not ship the matter to trial.
“So, I perceive the method as soon as it’s determined to ship it to trial. It might contain dedicated to jail or a safe place till the trial is definitely held. However then there may be bail obtainable and the Justice of the Peace might have supplied bail immediately.
“I get the distinct impression that he was bent on sending me to jail…which he did,” James mentioned, including “I don’t know why…
“I’ve by no means been in a cell earlier than, however life goes on,” he mentioned noting that the police “felt a approach” in accompanying him to the holding cell.
“He requested me to take a seat not within the cell within the common space and I feel he was nonetheless struggling how he’s going to place me within the cell after which he got here again and mentioned it’s important to go so, open the door, clang, clang, clang, and I went inside,” the previous prime minister mentioned, earlier than he was later eliminated and allowed to take a seat in one other space awaiting the bail listening to.
“Laudat got here there this morning pre-determined to place me within the cell and he did all the pieces to ensure that occurred,” James mentioned, including “it’s my opinion, I could also be improper, he was appearing both on direct directions or his understanding is that’s what the facility should be…”
Linton, whose personal trial comes up within the Justice of the Peace court docket subsequent week, mentioned that he was stunned on the choice of the Justice of the Peace on condition that James has been earlier than the court docket since 2017 and has by no means ever missed a listening to.
“Completely and completely obedient to the court docket. He has by no means been requested to return to court docket and never been there. So there isn’t a document, no historical past, no practise of Mr James not displaying up at court docket….
“This factor is so easy you marvel why Mr James was put within the embarrassment of being positioned in a cell within the first place,” he added.
The UWP has deliberate a protest for February 25 and each Linton and James have urged supporters to return of their numbers.
“I’m interesting to Dominicans allow us to perceive the place we’re. At this time it’s me. Will probably be you tomorrow. Cease this factor now. There’s a name for folks to be out on the twenty fifth ….we don’t have six billion [people], however allow us to get near that as doable.
“This isn’t a matter of we combating down Skerrit …we’re combating for Dominica,” James added.
The prosecution within the circumstances towards the opposition politicians are led by the Trinidad-based prison attorneys Israel Khan and Keith Scotland.
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