The future of the Corozal Free Zone's Board of Directors is tonight in the hands of a Supreme Court Judge. On Monday Justice Samuel Awich will rule on Winston Smiling and Gulab Sharma's request for a leave to seek judicial review of the July 10th election and more importantly their request for an injunction to prevent the new board from operating.
Smiling and Sharma through their attorney Fred Lumor maintained that the election was irregular and arbitrary because they refused to accept proxy votes. Lois Young argued for the Ministry of National Development and the Corozal Free Zone that because Winston Smiling placed dead last with 79 votes, the 8 rejected proxies tendered into evidence would not have made any difference. In opposing the injunction, Young told the court that it would amount to punishment to the developers who showed up and cast their ballots. After all that, Lumor had a poker face when he spoke to us this evening.
Fred Lumor, Attorney for Winston Smiling
"Depending upon what the ruling is, then if he rules against us then that is the end of the matter but if he rules that there is a matter seriously enough to be investigated in a judicial review, then the necessary papers will be filed for the court to deal with the application.
I can't say what the order of the judge will be but coming to do litigation of this nature, we don't make the decisions lightly. We advise our clients that they have grave issues before the court so all that we can say is that we are hopeful."
Again Justice Samuel Awich will announce his decision on August 7th.
