The Contempt of Court proceedings filed by the late Reeaz Hollander against Region 4’s Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, has been fixed for hearing on Thursday, June 11, 2020 at 11:00am before Chief Justice Roxane George. It will be done via Zoom.
Back in March, the PPP/C brought Contempt of Court proceedings against Mingo over his failure to comply with several court orders issued by Justice George in relation to the counting and tabulation of votes for Region 4, the largest electoral district.
In documents seen by this publication, the main Opposition party accused Mingo of using a pre-prepared spreadsheet, as the basis for ascertaining and adding up the said votes. Added to that, PPP/C said that none of the party’s duly appointed candidates for electoral district number 4 was permitted to be present for the exercise.
The party argues that Mingo’s actions are in clear breach of Sections 84 (1) and 86 (1) of the Representation of the People Act, as it relates to the vote verification process for Region 4. It further argues that this constitutes a flagrant violation of the Order of the Chief Justice.
Contempt of Court is a criminal offence. Should one be found guilty of this offence they are to be punished pursuant to Section 6 of the Contempt of Court Act.
It reads: Any person natural or person artificial found to be in Contempt of Court is liable in the case of –
(a) an individual, to a fine not exceeding two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months.
(b) a company or other association, to a fine not exceeding seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($750,000).
