Jeremy Enriquez Eyes Court Challenge Over Redistricting Records

Local activist Jeremy Enriquez, who recently secured a significant court victory against the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, is once again preparing for a legal battle, this time with the Elections and Boundaries Commission.  In a letter dated today, June 22, the Elections and Boundaries Commission declined to provide information requested by Enriquez under the Freedom of Information Act relating to the country’s ongoing electoral redistricting exercise.  According to the Elections and Boundaries Commission, Enriquez’s request seeks a substantial volume of documents relating to the redistricting process. However, the commission argues that its constitutional independence limits the extent to which it can be compelled to disclose information and contends that it may not fall within the definition of a “prescribed authority” under the Freedom of Information Act.  The commission also expressed concern that Enriquez’s request may be connected to ongoing litigation involving the redistricting issue. In its response, the commission referenced pending High Court, Court of Appeal and Caribbean Court of Justice proceedings in which Enriquez is a party and suggested that some of the requested information could affect those legal matters.  Despite refusing the request at this stage, the commission acknowledged the public concern surrounding electoral boundaries and confirmed that it has once again embarked on a revision exercise following criticism of the last redistricting report, which was laid before the National Assembly in 2023 but never enacted into law. The letter was signed by Elections and Boundaries Commission Chairman Oscar Sabido and states that the commission will defer providing the requested information until a court determines whether it is legally required to do so under the Freedom of Information Act.  The latest development comes less than a month after Enriquez successfully challenged the Judicial and Legal Services Commission in the High Court. In that matter, Justice Martha Alexander ordered both the Attorney General and the JLSC to pay Enriquez’s legal costs after finding that the commission failed to properly address his complaint against High Court Justice Tawanda Hondora and unreasonably delayed responding to him.  Now, Enriquez finds himself at odds with another constitutional body.  Whether this latest dispute ends up before the courts remains to be seen.