ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Magistrate Michael Laudat Monday granted former opposition legislator Hector John EC$30,000 (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) bail after he appeared in court along with three other people charged with “unlawfully, riotously and tumultuously assembly together to the disturbance of the public.”
The matter has been adjourned to June 30 this year.
Last week Wednesday, police fired teargas and rubber bullets at protestors as the Parliament debated and approved electoral reform legislation. The police had earlier warned that no permission had been granted to anyone to gather and protest outside the Parliament building on the capital’s outskirts.
The leader of the main opposition United Workers Party (UWP), Dr. Thomson Fontaine, had told reporters that the protest action was a continuation of the “struggle” to get the government to meet other aspects of electoral reform, such as campaign financing debated.
The prosecution said that the men had participated in the March 19 protest and had contravened the Riot Act.
John, 54, a member of the UWP who served as opposition leader from 2010 to 2014, was charged with Jno. Baptise Charles, Bernard Moreau and Samuel Durand.
The magistrate said that in Durand’s case, the court is satisfied that he has not met the requirements under section 4(3) of the Bail Act and that it is not in the public interest to grant him bail.
His lawyers, Ronald Charles and Joshua Francis, have already indicated that they intend to petition the High Court to get bail for their client.
In the case of the other three accused, Magistrate Laudat said it is in the public interest to grant them bail at EC$30,000 each since the prosecution did not object and that they will have to surrender their travel documents by Wednesday.
He said they were also not to interfere with witnesses, not to attend any public procession or gathering, and not to speak about the matter until it was complete.
The magistrate said that the prosecution must expedite the matter and give disclosures of all documents on or before May 26 this year.
The men face a five-year jail term if found guilty.
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