By now, you the viewers, may have had enough of those election petitions which were filed earlier this year in the Supreme Court. However, the last of the 4 was heard today, and just like the rest it, it went right out the way it came in.
The PUP's Albert Standard Bearer, alleged that Herman Longsworth, the current Albert Area Representative was disqualified when he ran for the office.
According to Craig, L&V Construction Management Limited, of which Longsworth is the Managing Director, was still under contract by the Ministry of Youth and Sports to build a perimeter fence for the Marion Jones Sporting Complex.
When this petition was called up today, things took an anti-climactic turn because Craig's attorney, Said Musa, made an application to withdraw the petition, instead of presenting their arguments against Longsworth.
Justice Michelle Arana accepted the application, and the petition was dismissed.
It was a very abrupt end to the matter, so we asked Longsworth's attorney, Michael Young, to explain. Here's what he told us:
Michael Young
"David Craig the petitioner applied for leave to withdraw the petition against Herman Longsworth and the judge of course granted leave and awarded cost in the amount of $7,500. They mentioned in relation to this application to withdraw that the reason why they had not proceed with the petition is because it is only after we set our case completely that they knew that the contract had been completed but that is clearly not the case because at the leave stage there was this certificate which was signed by the representatives of the consultant that the contract had been completed and furthermore when you make an application to challenge the returning of and elected representative - you are supposed to have sufficient facts as a basis upon which you can make that application and they simply did not have it."
"For them to say that the evidence did not exist for them to know that this contract had been finish, to my mind just simply cannot stand up to scrutiny. It is very clear as far as I think anyone who looks at the facts would see that this is something that they were pushing and it simply had no substance and no support in evidence."
Daniel Ortiz
"By extension it was frivolous?"
Michael Young
"Yes absolutely was and that was our position from the very outset that they should never have even brought an application in this situation because it is nt sufficient for you to say that there is a contract. You have to have evidence to show that the contract was existence and still continuing."
Hon. Herman Longsworth
"I wish I could say that I am, relief, but relief can only be enjoyed if a burden is removed and this was never a burden for me. I always knew it to be bogus, a poor attempt at trying to distract us from what we ought to be doing. So all what will happen now is that we continue to do what the people have mandated us to do in Albert and by extension the country of Belize and that is to govern and to serve."
We attempted to speak with Attorney Said Musa, but he refused to give us any comments.
