Prime Minister Godwin Friday is slated to take the witness stand Tuesday morning to present his own evidence and face cross-examination in the historic constitutional election petitions trial.
The upcoming development follows an intense session at the High Court in Kingstown on Monday, during which Canadian legal expert Joel Goberman gave crucial evidence regarding the constitutional meaning, rights, and responsibilities of the citizenship oath.
The high-stakes consolidated proceedings—which centre on Section 26(1)(a) of the Constitution regarding dual nationality and parliamentary eligibility — coincided with the prime minister’s 67th birthday inside the courtroom.
The law dictates whether dual citizenship constitutes an acknowledgement of allegiance to a foreign power, potentially disqualifying a parliamentarian from holding office.
Goberman, an attorney-at-law with over 40 years of experience in that jurisdiction, appeared in court via video link from Italy to assist the court in understanding foreign jurisdiction and the legal framework, rules, and responsibilities tied to Canadian citizenship.
During extensive cross-examination on a comprehensive expert report he prepared for the matter, Goberman informed the court of the specific rules and responsibilities of a Canadian citizen, the administrative procedures required for acquiring a visa and naturalised citizenship, as well as the fundamental legal weight and importance of allegiance.
Following the afternoon adjournment, Senior Counsel Anand Ramlogan, a former attorney general of Trinidad and Tobago and lead defence attorney, spoke with iWitness News to contextualise the day’s expert evidence.
“Today, we had the foreign expert from Canada, Mr. Joel Goberman … giving evidence on what is the meaning and effect and purpose of the oath that you take as a Canadian citizen,” Ramlogan said.
Ramlogan explained that because Canada is a member of the Commonwealth, an individual must be a Commonwealth citizen to be qualified and eligible to run for elections in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
“So his evidence is pretty important in that regard because it means that it’s a symbolic oath that demonstrates commitment to a form of government that is very much aligned with that of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the wider Commonwealth Caribbean,” Ramlogan stated.
The lead defence counsel added that the prime minister has always been entirely upfront about his dual citizenship status throughout his career as a Member of Parliament, which began in 2001.
“This objection has never been taken before until the people elected him with an overwhelming mandate as prime minister,” Ramlogan said.
“So, having served for such a long time, it being an open secret that he was a citizen of Canada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines … it’s amusing that when he’s elected as prime minister, all of a sudden you have all these … chorus of voices … being channelled through the leader of the opposition, no doubt, the opposition party.”
Ramlogan said that Monday was a very special day for the country, taking the opportunity to publicly wish the prime minister a happy birthday.
He thanked Friday for demonstrating a firm commitment to the legal system by choosing to spend his birthday listening to courtroom arguments.
“That to me is the highest form of commitment to the rule of law and the Constitution of SVG,” Ramlogan added.
Speaking to iWitness News following the afternoon adjournment, Prime Minister Friday expressed his view on the onstitutional challenge, saying it should have been over a long time ago.
“But you know, we are here,” Friday said. “We’re doing our preparations … and things finished earlier than we expected; but that’s good. Give me a little time to enjoy my birthday today.”
Meanwhile, lead counsel for the petitioners, Stuart Young, SC, remarked that the prime minister’s defence team appeared to be growing anxious as the cross-examination intensified.
However, when asked by iWitness News if his legal team had anything to be nervous about following that commentary, the prime minister rejected the assertion.
“Well, no,” Friday said. “I think that, of course, we always respect the process of the court, the decision that the court makes, but we are confident about the case. We’ve said this from the very beginning, and it’s proceeding pretty much as we expect.”
The legal proceedings stem from the November 2025 general elections, where defeated Unity Labour Party (ULP) candidate Carlos Williams challenged Friday’s election, claiming that he was not qualified to be a candidate because of his Vincentian and Canadian citizenship.
The ULP’s Luke Browne, also mounted a similar challenge in East Kingstown, where he was defeated, for a second time by Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble, who is also a member of the New Democratic Party (NDP), which Friday leads.
Representing the petitioners, Carlos Williams and Luke Browne, is a legal team led by Stuart Young, SC, alongside local attorney Kay Bacchus-Baptiste.
On the defence side, Senior Counsel Anand Ramlogan, leads a defence team that includes Shirlan “Zita” Barnwell, Zhinga Horne-Edwards, Samantha Robertson, and Gabrielle Myers.