BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC—Chief Justice Leslie Haynes ruled Monday that Andre Worrell and Pedro Shepherd will remain as acting President and General Secretary of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) for the next month.
The Chief Justice adjourned the matter to June 26 to allow veteran DLP member Ricardo Williams more time to file additional documents.
Attorney Hal Gallop is speaking to reporters.
William’s attorney, Shamar Bovell, told reporters the court requested that a substantive case be made within 14 days.
Williams filed a certificate of urgency requesting the DLP’s executive take the necessary steps to restore Dr. Ronnie Yearwood and Steve Blackett to their posts.
“The court has adjourned the complainant to put its house in order. Some documents are fundamental to the application that were not included in the application to the court,” said attorney Hal Gollop KC, who is representing Shepherd.
“So they have 14 days to correct that order,
as it were. In the meantime, the Chief Justice has expressed his concern that nothing be done to bring the Democratic Labour Party into disrepute, and as such, he has ordered that the status quo be maintained.”
Gallop said the judge ruled that Shepherd is the de facto general secretary of the DLP. Worrel, who has been acting as president, “should the two of them be allowed to do all things necessary for the proper functioning” of the party.
Following the court ruling, DLP political leader Ralph Thorne told reporters, “To clarify, Mr. Pedro Shepherd in this interim period will function as general secretary, and Mr. Andre Worrell will function as President, and no one must disrupt their work.”
Bovell maintained they have a strong case.
“My client believes we have a strong claim, and I do believe we have a strong claim, and the claim will be adjudicated before the court and not necessarily in the public.”
and then  for the next month){kind=link}