Antigua\'s ruling party accused of witness tampering

The opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP) is claiming that operatives of the United Progressive Party (UPP) have been threatening, intimidating and terrorizing persons who have filed statements in election challenges that are before the courts, according to a report on www.caribbean360.com.



But the ruling UPP has denied any such actions.



Opposition Leader Lester Bird levelled the charge in his weekly broadcast yesterday and said the party had drawn the matter to the attention of police.



\"Witnesses, who have sworn to affidavits attesting to electoral fraud by the UPP candidates in four constituencies at last March\'s general election, have been the victims of terrorisation by UPP operatives,\" he said.



\"The UPP is now deathly scared that the fraudulent results in the four constituencies that have been challenged will be overturned by the courts. This will mean by-elections which the UPP has no chance of winning. And, this is why they are determined to interfere with the legal process by terrorising witnesses.\"



Bird said the ALP would keep a watchful eye on the situation and report any further interference.



But the UPP Chairman Leon Chaku Symister has denied Bird\'s charges and called Bird\'s bluff.



\"We categorically deny that anyone has been tampering with any witnesses. We call on Lester Bird not to wait for it to continue as he puts it but to do what he says they would,\" he said.



Following the March 12th elections in which the UPP won 10 seats and the ALP seven, the opposition party filed six challenges to the results in the constituencies of All Saints West, Barbuda, St George, St John\'s Rural North, St John\'s Rural West and St Paul.