Lawyer for JLP’s Dawnette Foster confident she will retain Cornwall Mountain Division

Attorney Charles Sinclair, who is representing the Jamaica Labour Party's Dawnette Foster in the magisterial recount for the Cornwall Mountain division in Westmoreland is optimistic that his client will keep her victory.

The recount is ongoing and a decision is expected today.

“There were several ballots that were in the rejected envelopes that are coming back in. For the main part, it's about equal,” Sinclair told The Gleaner at the lunch break.

The recount is being presided over by Senior Parish Judge Steve Walters.

Sinclair indicated that 14 of the 36 boxes have already counted. 

“What I find is that our preliminary count and our final count and the information and instructions that I have received is panning out. It is coming back to where we were basically from the preliminary count, which had Dawnette Foster at the end of the day ahead of the PNP candidate [Abigail Malcolm],” said Sinclair.

However, Malcolm's attorneys, Clayton Morgan and Maurice McCurdy, stated that they intend to make certain submissions that should tip additional votes to her if the judge is mindful to accept their submissions.

"We cannot say what the final result will be at this time [but], we intend to make some legal submissions to the court in respect of a certain box,” Morgan told The Gleaner.

“I don't want to go into details at this point as to what that submission will be or what is the nature of the problem which we see,” the senior attorney explained. 

Following the local government election on February 26, Forster was declared the winner after receiving 1,497 votes to Malcolm's 1, 470.

Last Friday, Malcolm, through her attorneys, filed an injunction barring Foster from being sworn in until the court makes a decision.

The ceremony is set for tomorrow Thursday, March 7.

Foster is one of three JLP candidates who won their divisions in the February 26 local government elections.

The PNP won the other 11 divisions.

- Albert Ferguson

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