S/Court rejects Speaker Tyler’ request

Associate Justice presiding in Chambers, Jamesetta Howard Wolokolie Tuesday August 23, declined to issue a writ of prohibition against the majority bloc at the House of Representative as requested by embattled House Speaker Alex Tyler to halt a continuous parallel session.

Majority members of the House of Representative seeking the recusal of Speaker Tyler accused of bribery have been holding a parallel session at the Capitol in protest of Tyler’s refusal to step aside as a presiding officer till criminal charges brought against him are over.

“By directive of Her Honor, Jamesetta Howard Wolokolie, Associate Justice presiding in Chambers, you are hereby informed that Her Honor, Madam Justice Wolokolie, has declined to issue the writ as prayed for,” the Supreme Court informed Speaker Tyler in a communication Tuesday, 23 August.

Tyler has been battling to take full control of the House since his indictment was announced in connection with the alleged bribery scandal in which several government officials both past and present have been accused of collecting bribe to change a mining law in favor of a British company, Sable Mining.

He filed for a writ of prohibition at the Supreme Court after months of intensives fight against the group of lawmakers claiming to have majority bloc in the House. Counsels for the Anti- Tyler Lawmakers bloc said their decision to demand the Speaker’s recusal was purely political, insisting that he must step aside to have ample time to defend himself in an indictment with multiple charges at the Criminal Court “C” which range from economic sabotage to bribery.

But Tyler’s counsels have argued that the decision of the opposing party to hold parallel sessions was illegal, and that their request for his recusal was only meant to have him removed as Speaker.

By Winston W. Parley