High Court judge Agnes Actie on Thursday adjourned until Monday, legal proceedings instituted by attorney-at-law Cajeton Hood against Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, Attorney-General Claudette Joseph and Supervisor of Election Arthur Pierre.
Hood has field two civil lawsuits – the first one is challenging the change of Oath of Office being taken by the Prime Minister to serve in office and the other relates to the rights of Commonwealth citizens to vote in general elections on the island.
A well-placed source told THE NEW TODAY that Justice Actie did not hear the matters because Hood did not serve any legal papers on the Prime Minister for him to attend the court sitting.
“Up to now the Prime Minister hasn’t been served in these things … and so they could not proceed with the matter,” he remarked.
According to the source, the Attorney General was served with legal papers and did put in the affidavit and other legal documents for the hearing of the matter.
The source pointed out that even if the papers are served on the Prime Minister on Thursday for the court matter, the question of “short service” will arise and he doubted that the matter will be heard on Monday.
“This thing wouldn’t be heard before the election (November 5)”, he said.
Hood is representing himself in the two cases and has not retained any legal counsel at this time.
The State is represented by three lawyers – Dr Francis Alexis, KC, Ruggles Ferguson, KC and Ian Sandy.
The source said that Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell is not unduly worried by the lawsuit filed by Hood as he does not intend to get distracted in leading Congress into the general election due less than a week.
“We are not getting distracted – we have an election to win so we are not getting distracted by that (the Cajeton Hood lawsuit) but after the election Cajeton (Hood) is not getting away with that,” he added.
Hood had also filed criminal proceedings against the Prime Minister, as well as Chief of Staff in the Office of the Prime Minister Teddy St Louis, attorney-at-law Andrea St Bernard who is the Treasurer of Congress, and attorney-at-law Robert Branch who is the Registrar in the office of Corporate Affairs & Intellectual Property (CAIPO).
Acting Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Howard Pinnock stepped in to quash the proceedings on the basis that the papers filed by Hood did not provide any evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the Prime Minister and the other accused persons.
Hood has threatened to approach a high court judge to review the actions of Pinnock.
