The matter was brought to a conclusion on Wednesday, (13th October), when Judge Hariprashad-Charles, delivered her decision, via a live tele-conference to the High Court in Basseterre, from her base in Tortola, Virgin Islands.
Judge Charles ordered that Mr. Hamilton was the duly elected representative for the constituency and she therefore rejected the election petition brought by the defeated candidate, Mr. Cedric Liburd, of the St. Kitts Labour Party.
In the petition, it was the claim of Mr. Liburd, that Mr. Hamilton, who was the successful candidate for the Peoples Action Movement, (PAM), was the holder of a United States passport and citizenship.
In a press release issued by PAM, on Wednesday, it is stated that, “The Learned Judge reprimanded petitioner Liburd for his failure to drop his petition after he admitted that he had no evidence supporting his claim that Mr. Hamilton was a US citizen”.
The release went on to state that, “This was further confirmed when Mr. Hamilton volunteered his green card to the scrutiny of the High Court. As the Learned Judge explained, it is settled law that a person cannot be the holder of both a green card and a US passport”.
As a consequence of losing the case, the judge further ordered that the petitioner, Cedric Liburd, must pay costs to Mr. Eugene Hamilton.
Following the decision, Mr. Hamilton told the media, “I feel satisfied that the confidence that the people of Cayon, Conaree, Keys and St. Peters (entrusted in me), was vindicated today” said Mr. Hamilton.
Mr. Hamilton claimed that the petition case was the latest, in a long catalogue of dirty tricks that Cedric Liburd and Labour were engaged in, to rig and undermine the last general election; and they have again been thwarted
Counsel for Mr. Hamilton, Senator Vincent Byron, reiterated that the court had again come to the rescue of the people’s legitimate vote for the representative of their choice.
“Today is a victory for the thousands of properly registered people who cast legal votes in Constituency #8 in the last election” said Sen. Byron. “It is another victory for democracy” he added.