Lead Stories

Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter

Minister of Information Daryl Vaz, who is the member of parliament for the West Portland constituency, is to pay $25 million in legal costs to the law firm which represented former People's National Party (PNP) candidate Abe Dabdoub in the dual-citizenship case against him.

The bill of costs for $25 million was signed yesterday afternoon by the registrar of the Supreme Court.

Last year, a bill of costs for approximately $49 million was submitted by Gayle, Nelson & Co and Vaz. Following discussions, Vaz agreed to pay $25 million. The legal costs include the lengthy election petition hearing in the Supreme Court and the appeal in the Court of Appeal.

Dabdoub had filed an election petition claiming that Vaz had an American passport and travelled on it even after the September 3, 2007 general election. Dabdoub contended that Vaz was not entitled to be a member of the House of Representatives because he had pledged allegiance to a foreign power.

Chief Justice Zaila McCalla heard the election petition and handed down a ruling in April 2008 declaring the seat vacant. The chief justice ordered a by-election for the constituency and granted Vaz a stay of her ruling following an application made by his lawyer, Ransford Braham.

The stay allowed Vaz to remain in Parliament until the by-election was held.

Dabdoub holds firm

Vaz and Dabdoub appealed various aspects of the chief justice's ruling. Dabdoub appealed on the grounds that the seat should have been awarded to him because he was the only duly nominated candidate.

The Court of Appeal upheld the chief justice's ruling that there should be a by-election in the constituency.

Vaz contested the by-election for the Jamaica Labour Party and defeated PNP candidate Kenneth Rowe.

Vaz renounced his US citizenship shortly after the Supreme Court's ruling.

barbara.gayle@gleanerjm.com