The Tribune

THE final ruling in the North Andros voter fraud case was delivered yesterday.

Administrator Huntley Christie ruled that five of the challenged voters will be removed from the island's register while the other 15 will remain as legal voters.

The voter fraud case was initiated following claims from the FNM candidate for the area, Desmond Bannister, that PLP operatives had been flying voters in from other islands to register in the constituency.

Lead counsel for the appellants and objectors argued the legitimacy of voter fraud claims during their final submissions, Monday.

PLP Deputy Leader and lead counsel for the appellants, Philip "Brave" Davis maintained that last year's amendments to the Parliamentary Elections Act combined facts and voter's choice to determine "ordinary" residency.

However, attorney Elma Campbell, lead counsel for the objectors, refuted this interpretation during her closing argument yesterday. Ms Campbell conceded to the legitimate residency of one appellant.

Following the decision, Ms Campbell stated: "Pursuit of the truth is never ever a waste of time."

She said she hopes persons in similar situations will now determine for themselves "the right and proper thing to do."

The governing party initially produced a list of 30 voters to be investigated and then have submitted a second list of ten persons.

The first list was cut down, according to officials, who confirmed that some persons had voluntarily removed themselves from the register.

Tabled in June, the amendments to the Parliamentary Elections Act followed recommendations given by Supreme Court judges to give further clarification to the law.

As he tabled the legislation, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said: "The objects and reasons of the Bill are fairly explicit, designed to deal with the question of 'ordinary resident' - which has been the subject of most of the election petitions in the Bahamas."

Clause two amends section eight of the Act so that a person's place of residence is determined by the facts of the individual case and the choice that a person makes regarding his home, despite any other law concerning the meaning of the term "ordinary resident."

In a further amendment to section eight, the clause states that a person's residence in a constituency is not considered interrupted if the person is occasionally absent because of service as a parliamentarian or Cabinet minister, overseas deployment in the public/private sector or if he is studying abroad.

Last night, Mr Ingraham said the hearings served as a demonstrative process of voter fraud in the country and to reinforce the importance of a "clean" voters register.

Mr Ingraham said: "We have no concern or special interest in what is happening in North Andros. We just want people to be registered and to vote in the constituency in which they lived.

"It doesn't matter if they are PLP, FNM, or any other thing else, that's all we seek to do. The exercise down in North Andros is merely demonstrative of what we are seeking to do because it is not possible to challenge all of those who have registered in areas like North Andros who do not live in North Andros," he added.

PLP North Andros candidate Perry Gomez stated that he would not comment until he personally got the full details.

Administrator Huntley Christie and FNM candidate Desmond Bannister could not be reached for comment.