By Admin. Updated 6:55 p.m., Tuesday, July 28, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
The substantive hearing of the election petitions challenging the eligibility of two Government parliamentarians got underway in the High Court on Tuesday (July 28), with the petitioners and several witnesses giving evidence on the opening day of what is expected to be a three-day trial.
The proceedings, before High Court Justice (Ag.) Gertel Thom, centre on petitions filed by Augustus Carlos Williams and Luke Browne following the November 27, 2025 General Election. The petitioners are asking the court to determine whether East Kingstown MP Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble and Northern Grenadines MP Prime Minister Dr Godwin Friday were constitutionally qualified to be elected.
The petitions rely on Section 26(1)(a) of the Constitution of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, which states that a person is not qualified to be elected or appointed as a Representative or Senator if they are, “by virtue of his own act, under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience, or adherence to a foreign power or state.”
On the first day of the hearing, the court heard evidence from the petitioners and several of their witnesses. That evidence was tendered before the court and subjected to cross-examination by attorneys representing the respondents.
The hearing is scheduled to continue on Wednesday, when expert witnesses are expected to testify, before concluding on Thursday.
Speaking to SVG TV outside the High Court after Tuesday’s proceedings, lead counsel for the Government, Anand Ramlogan, described the trial as an intensive process.
“We completed probably about five witnesses today. Tomorrow we’ll have the expert witnesses and we have a couple others, so it’s a day-by-day trial,” Ramlogan said.
He also noted the attendance of Prime Minister Dr Godwin Friday during the proceedings, saying it reflected respect for both the court and the democratic process.
“It is a very exhausting and intense process, but ultimately we feel this is a very momentous day to see that the Prime Minister would clear his schedule, come to court, be respectful towards the court and the citizens who are entitled to a quick resolution of this matter in the interest of democracy,” he said.
The election petitions were first filed following the 2025 General Election and seek the court’s interpretation of the constitutional provision relating to allegiance to a foreign state. Dr Friday and Bramble have previously acknowledged holding Canadian citizenship, an issue that forms part of the constitutional questions before the court.
The case attracted national attention earlier this year after the Government proposed constitutional and legislative amendments relating to the interpretation of “foreign power”. The proposal prompted criticism from the Opposition, which argued that any retroactive change could affect matters already before the courts.
However, the Government subsequently announced that it would not proceed with the proposed amendments until there had been broad public consultation. Prime Minister Dr Friday told Parliament in April that the draft legislation would be paused to allow for full public debate before any further action was taken.
The High Court is expected to continue hearing evidence from witnesses on Wednesday as the trial enters its second day.
All the developments follow a case management hearing first held on March 5, 2026, where the legal teams for both sides were officially confirmed.
Trinidadian Senior Counsel Stuart Young, Al Elliot, and Carlos James appear for the Petitioners.
While Trinidadian Senior Counsel Anand Ramlogan, UK Barrister Kate Temple-Mabe, Zhinga Horne Edwards, Kay Bacchus Baptiste, Zita Barnwell, and Samantha Robertson for the Respondents.
END