- Former Dominica PM charged with incitement released on bail
Edison James, former Dominica prime minister, was released on EC$50,000 bail on Friday after spending 20 minutes in a magistrate’s court holding cell before his High Court incitement trial.
After a United Workers Party (UWP) meeting on February 7, 2017, calling for Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit’s resignation, the 80-year-old is charged with “encouraging, persuading, or instigating by words, causing persons to jeopardise the safety or endanger the public peace.”
James was prime minister from 1995 to 2000. Former opposition leader Lennox Linton and current UWP head and economist Dr. Thomson Fontaine are also accused of inciting.
James told a radio audience that “I always expected the magistrate to send this matter to the High Court” after Magistrate Michael Laudat rejected his no-case motion.
Always anticipated him to do that. I told him frankly that a contract magistrate should not handle highly political matters like mine, James said, adding, “he is under pressure and I did not expect him not to send the matter to trial.
If it goes to trial, I understand. It may involve jail or a secure facility until trial. There is bail, thus the magistrate might have granted bail immediately.
James stated that he perceived him as intent on sending him to jail, which he did. He did not explain why.
He remarked, “I have never been in a cell before, but life goes on,” adding that the cops “felt a way” to take him to the detention cell.
The former prime minister said, “He asked me to sit not in the cell in the general area and I think he was still struggling how he is going to put me in the cell and then he came back and said you have to go so, open the door, clang, clang, clang, and I went inside,” before being removed and allowed to sit in another area awaiting bail.
“Laudat came pre-determined to put me in the cell this morning and did everything to ensure that,” James added. He may have been acting on direct instructions or knowing of the power.
Linton, whose trial is next week in magistrate court, was startled by the magistrate’s decision since James has never skipped a session before 2017.
Complete court obedience. Never invited to court, he never went. There is no record or history of Mr. James missing court appearances.
“This thing is so simple you wonder why Mr James was embarrassed to be in a cell for the first time,” he said.
Linton and James hope many people will attend the UWP’s February 25 rally.
I urge Dominicans to assess our situation. Today, I am. Your turn tomorrow. Stop it. On the 25th, there is a call for people to be out. While we may not have six billion people, we should aim for almost that number.
James stated that they are fighting for Dominica, not Skerrit.
Trinidad-based criminal attorneys Israel Khan and Keith Scotland prosecute opposition leaders.
