Bomi County – Lawyers representing the legal interest of Representative Edwin Melvin Snowe (Montserrado County, District-6) in the case Edwin Melvin Snowe vs, Samuel Gayah Karmo (UP-District-1 Bomi County), before the Bomi County election magistrate have pleaded for the hearing that was scheduled for June 21, 2017, to be rescheduled to June 24.
Report by Henry Karmo, [email protected]
The legal team headed by former Justice Minister Benedict Sannoh prayed the court to give them time to review the complaint of objection filed by the Bomi lawmaker because according to them they received the document a day to the hearing.
The hearing took place in Tubmanburg, Bomi County at the NEC local headquarters.
Rep. Karmo, who represented himself before the Magistrate and team of National Elections Commission resisted the appeal from Sannoh on grounds that the commission has up to the 28th of the month to hear the case in keeping with the NEC guideline. But despite the argument, the Magistrate granted the excuse.
Cllr. Sannoh, who has little record of winning cases as Anthony General of the Republic of Liberia told FrontPageaAfrica that the complaints filed by Representative Karmo Lacks several basic facts and substance that need to be addressed by the court.
Said Cllr. Sannoh: “We filed a motion and it is that motion that we ask the court to hear. We filed a motion in that some statutory requirements have not been met and so we asked the court to dismiss the case. For instance, there must be allegation that the person is not a citizen of Liberia or is judicially incompetent.”
“I believe Rep, Snowe has a good case and has good chances of prevailing. Rep. Snowe has the right under the law to appear to defend himself and he has a good case.”
“He has a chance of prevailing in this case.”
The Bomi County- Representative Samuel in his complaint called for the prosecution of Representative Edwin Snowe (UP-District-#6 Montserrado County) for fraud and criminal acts willfully and intentionally committed.
The Bomi County lawmaker also filed to the National Elections Commission (NEC) a complaint of objection calling on the election body to delete the name of Rep. Snowe from the list of voter registration centers including all other voter registration centers within District 1, Senjeh District and the entire Bomi County.
In his complaint entitled cause of action objects to the registration of Representative Edwin Melvin Snowe, Rep. Karmo accused the Montserrado County lawmaker of registering at the Weakama Public School, Senjeh District, and Bomi County with code Center 03067 Bomi County for what he terms as legal and factual reasons.
Rep. Karmo argued that Representative Snowe is a legally sitting Representative of District-Six, Montserrado County, having been legally seated as a 73rd member of the Electoral District-six Montserrado County is the current chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and a delegate of the ECOWAS Parliament receiving all benefits, salaries and legislative entitlements as a registered and domiciled members of District NO. Six, Montserrado County.
He also argued that under the circumstances, it is impossible and legally unfounded for a sitting representative legally seated until 2018 to contest into another district seeking election within the same area.
The Bomi County lawmaker said Rep. Snowe who is legally seated in Electoral District No. Six, Montserrado County must be barred, stopped and precluded from being domiciled in Bomi County for the 2017 legislative and Presidential elections.
“Hence, to allow Snowe who is legally domiciled in District-six, Montserrado County and receiving legislative entitlements of said, District-six claim to be domiciled in Bomi County for the sole purpose of contesting legislative elections in Senjeh District, Bomi County, is prohibited and in violation of Article 4.2 of the “District Regulations” of NEC, which states that “no electoral district shall cross a County boundary, and electoral districts shall be contiguous as far as practicable.”