Judgment Reserved In Johnson Roussety’s Case

The oral arguments on the election petition calling for the invalidation of the election of Johnson Roussety, Chief Commissioner of Rodrigues, ended this morning in the Supreme Court. Me Natasha Beeharry-Panray, representing petitioners Jean-Richard Payendee and Jean-Noël Samoisy, insisted that Johnson Roussety was not present in Rodrigues six months before the nomination exercise. As a result, he was not eligible to stand for election. For his part, Me Jacques Panglose, who represents the chief commissioner, said that physical presence is not essential. What counts, according to him, is where the person is located. He said Johnson Roussety has his home, work and family in Rodrigues, where he has been in politics since 2000. Judges Denis Mootoo and Gaitree Jugessur-Manna reserved judgment.