A decision on the fate of Denzil Douglas in parliament has been put off until the 15th of June according to St. Kitts & Nevis Observer.
The former Prime Minister of St. Kitts will face trial as to whether his holding of a Dominican diplomatic passport disqualifies him from serving in parliament.
According to St. Kitts law a member of parliament may not swear allegiance to a foreign power or hold dual citizenship.
Denzil has admitted to being awarded a Dominican diplomatic passport as a courtesy but Douglas and his counsel Anthony Astaphan SC (senior counsel) has maintained that he did not swear allegiance to any foreign power and holding a Dominican passport does not mean he holds Dominican citizenship.
Astaphan has put forward a motion to bring in expert evidence in relation to Dominican law. However, counsel representing the applicants ,Douglas Mendes QC (queen’s counsel), said there is no need for expert evidence citing that the court is a common forum. He also added that the court has to apply the law of St. Kitts and Nevis in this case.
It was Vincent Byron, the Attorney General of St Kitts-Nevis who first ask for an adjournment stating they would want an expert in Dominica law. Lawyers for Douglas said he wants one too. Douglas has one, but Byron cannot get one so they are now singing another tune. it is just political harassment. Harris is such a hated man and a fraud now that he has taken on the role of a dictator. now he is embroiled in a bribery scandal in the UK.
If Denzil Douglas is found guilty and as a result banned from the parliament wouldn’t he have committed a crime according to the laws of St. Kitts Nevis? Now since Skerrit is a witness to that alleged crime and really, assisted Denzil Douglas in committing that crime, why then is he not a suspect of that crime? No doubt he is a witness according to his own written statement as quoted by Denzil Douglas. If Dominica were a real country Skerrit would be treated just as Denzil Douglas is expected to be treated in St. Kitts . But then again Skerrit has told us that the Dominica he leads is not a REAL country
Breaking the law is not necessarily a crime.
Warrington, are you listening to yourself; or are you getting stupid in your old age!
Haven’t read, or heard that ignorance of the law, is not an excuse for breaking the law?
If your bogus one line was correct, then you or I could simple walk out in the streets; kill ten people and simply tell the court at our trial we did not know we were breaking the law when we murdered ten people.
Hence, our verdict be not guilty, can you imagine that?
Guy are you mad, have all of Dominica gone mad?
I am saying the moment that passport scandal of Denzil Douglas became a Court matter and PM Roosevelt Skerrit was a witness in that case, the local police should have brought Skerrit in immediately for questioning, so he could make a statement to the police. There our local police would know if the passport was sold to Denzil Douglas, if so, how much and whereabout of that money, or if it was a courtesy, as per Skerrit’s written statement. Now that Denzil Douglas reveled later in a court affidavit that he applied for his Dominica passport, which leads me to believe that it was not out of courtesy either. I don’t think Denzil Douglas alone should be in trouble but his witness and the one that helped him commit the alleged crime should also be in trouble here. If someone stole money in St. Kitts and said the said money was given to him by his friend in Dominica, wouldn’t his DA friend be questioned? If later both the witness and the accused lied wouldn’t both be in hot water?
You all UWP supporters so desperate it just not funny. The government of Dominica has the legal authority to issue Dominican diplomatic passport, a diplomatic passport was issued to Denzel Douglas and was properly recorded. If by accepting a Dominican diplomatic passport Denzel Douglas violated the constitution and laws of St. Kitts that is a matter for Denzel Douglas alone to answer. Skeritt and the government of Dominica have violated no law. If they violated the law and should be questioned by police could you state what law was violated.
As Caribbean citizens, we all need to have one passport. This man is a trail blazer. Time to unite as one nation because we will be stronger together. Start the movement people.
@Rajah, let’s be real with our comments. If we have one passport as Caribbean people how will some of the corrupt leaders we have in the Caribbean go to countries like the US, if they committed a crime or violated some US laws, such as money laundering, while they were PM and they got their passport or visa cancelled? You need to understand that these bunch of corrupt politicians we have in the Caribbean hold rich bank accounts, own condos, apartments and houses in the US that they will have to turn to when they are no longer PM you know. So tell me if these guys with all of their talks will ever vote for us to have one passport in the Caribbean. These guys don’t think of us and our future as a people; they seriously thinking of their future and will do nothing to hurt their future my friend. When we have good and honest leaders like Linton in charge that will happen but for now, based on those we have now, it is just a wishful thinking that will go nowhere. That’s y we have this…
That’s exactly how it works, but the DLP supporters haven’t realised that yet. They think their master will ‘feed’ them forever. The truth however is different, once their master has his pockets properly filled he will be off to the States and live like a king. The question remains, how is going to feed you stupid red ants then???
From the information that I’ve gathered, it was Denzil Douglas who went to parliament to pass that specific law that stipulated that no parliamentarian should hold dual citizenship . Now he has fallen into the hole that he dug for others. This guy, Denzil Douglas and Roosevelt Skerrit ,are cut from the same cloth. They have dictatorial tendencies, uncouth, mendacious, and power hungry, the more power they get, the more they want. Both remind me of the biblical character on the Cross , ‘Bar-rob-us’.
Think about this Rajah. In using a Dominican passport to travel the world, Denzil Douglas just happens to do something untoward (can’t rule out this possibility), Dominica’s image would be everlastingly damaged.
In St. Kitts and Nevis Dr. Denzil Douglas is before the court and might very well be banned from the parliament because he holds a Dominica Diplomatic passport. The question is, when did he obtain his Dominica passport, why he obtained it and who gave him our passport? We know he got it shortly after he lost the 2015 elections and that should be a RED flag right there. Who gave it to him? All we know is Skerrit is, according to Denzil Douglas, who said Skerrit is a witness and Skerrit gave it to him as a courtesy, according to Skerrit’s written statement, as a witness: https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/general/dr-denzil-douglas-says-he-received-dominican-diplomatic-passport-as-a-courtesy/.
But later we found out that the so called written statement of Skerrit was false according to this:
http://www.thestkittsnevisobserver.com/local-news/douglas-finally-admits-holding-traveling-dominican-passport/. My point is, why is PM Skerrit as a witness is not questioned in Da.
Nobody in Dominica has the balls to stand up against Skerrit, least of all the DPF even though we are paying that lot to fight crime and bring criminals to justice. In all honesty Dominica hasn’t got a police force anyway but rather a unit of body guards to protect its PM…
See where Roosevelt Skerrit has Dominica, in the courts around the world bet it in the region or internationally, where NG Lap Seng was slapped in NY with 4 years and a fine of $1.5 million dollars, Alireza Monfared, who was allowed to run the My Dominica Trade House and, allowed to hide in Da for six months, with full knowledge and protection of the local authorities. Today he is jailed in Iran and a person Skerritr told us was a good gentleman, might be in prison for life. In the UK / Nigeria, it is Diezani Allison-Madueke awaiting her trial date. Ok, I agree these folks and many more holders of our passports are from the international world and Skerrit did just did not conduct proper due diligence. But what is the former Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, DR. Denzil Douglas doing with our diplomatic passport? Skerrit, is he not the opposition leader of St. Kitts Nevis and ought to have a passport of his country? Why you gave him ours? Skerrit has destroyed our image man