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\fs24\lang1033\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp1033\langfenp1033 {\b\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 IN THE HIGH COURT OF THE COOK ISLANDS
\par HELD AT RAROTONGA}{\b\insrsid12925613 
\par }{\b\insrsid8810387\charrsid8810387 
\par }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 MISC. NO. 84/06
\par 
\par }{\b\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 IN THE MATTER}{\b\insrsid8810387\charrsid8810387  }{\b\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 of Section 92}{\b\insrsid8810387\charrsid8810387 
\par }{\b\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 of the}{\b\insrsid8810387\charrsid8810387  }{\b\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 Electoral Act 2004
\par }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 
\par AND
\par 
\par }{\b\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 IN THE MATTER}{\b\insrsid8810387\charrsid8810387  }{\b\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 of an election of}{\b\insrsid8810387\charrsid8810387  }{\b\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 Members of Parliament}{
\b\insrsid8810387\charrsid8810387 
\par }{\b\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 held on the 26th day of}{\b\insrsid8810387\charrsid8810387  }{\b\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 September 2006
\par }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 
\par BETWEEN}{\insrsid8810387 
\par 
\par }{\b\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 SAM CROCOMBE}{\b\insrsid8810387\charrsid8810387 
\par O}{\b\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 f}{\b\insrsid8810387\charrsid8810387  }{\b\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 Avatiu
\par }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 Petitioner
\par 
\par AND}{\insrsid8810387 
\par 
\par }{\b\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 ALBERT NICHOLAS
\par of Avatiu
\par }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 First Respondent
\par 
\par AND}{\insrsid8810387 
\par 
\par }\pard \qc \li0\ri0\widctlpar\wrapdefault\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid5864427 {\b\insrsid12925613\charrsid5864427 NOOAPII TEAREA}{\b\insrsid5864427\charrsid5864427  o}{\b\insrsid12925613\charrsid5864427 f}{
\b\insrsid8810387\charrsid5864427  }{\b\insrsid5864427\charrsid5864427 Rarotonga,
\par }\pard \qc \li0\ri0\widctlpar\wrapdefault\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid8810387 {\b\insrsid12925613\charrsid5864427 Deputy}{\b\insrsid5864427\charrsid5864427  }{\b\insrsid12925613\charrsid5864427 Chief Electoral Office
\par }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 Second Respondent
\par 
\par }\pard \ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\wrapdefault\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid8810387 {\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 Counsel}{\insrsid5864427  : }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 Mr M Mitchell for the Petitioner
\par Mr H Puna for First Respondent
\par Mr J Elikana for Second Respondent
\par 
\par Date of decision:}{\insrsid12925613  }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 27 October 2006
\par }{\b\ul\insrsid12925613\charrsid5864427 
\par }\pard \qc \li0\ri0\widctlpar\wrapdefault\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid5864427 {\b\ul\insrsid12925613\charrsid5864427 DECISION OF WESTON J
\par }\pard \ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\wrapdefault\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid12124456 {\insrsid12925613\charrsid12124456 
\par }{\insrsid12124456 [1] \tab }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid12124456 I am sorry it has taken so long.}{\insrsid8810387\charrsid12124456  }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid12124456 The problem was that two votes arising out of the counter-petition
 physically could not be, or two voting papers physically could not be located and that is the cause of the delay.}{\insrsid8810387\charrsid12124456  }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid12124456 
\par 
\par }{\insrsid12124456 [2] \tab }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid12124456 The position we have got to is that those two have still not been located but the outcome is such that those two votes are not going to make any difference.}{\insrsid8810387\charrsid12124456 
 }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid12124456 
\par 
\par }{\insrsid12124456 [3] \tab }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid12124456 Although considerable efforts are being made to find them, I have directed that I come back and declare the outcome on the basis that those two votes will not make the difference.}{
\insrsid8810387\charrsid12124456  }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid12124456 The outcome does not change, the numbers change slightly.}{\insrsid8810387\charrsid12124456  }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid12124456 
So, putting aside those two votes, Mr Nicholas has 288 and Mr Crocombe has 278.}{\insrsid8810387\charrsid12124456  }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid12124456 
The two votes that emerge were in the cross-petition so it may have effect to that outcome if located but the scrutineers agreed with the obvious arithmetic the two were
 not going to make any ultimate difference to this so to cut a long story short I have come back and said we will deal with it now.}{\insrsid8810387\charrsid12124456  }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid12124456 
\par 
\par }{\insrsid12124456 [4] \tab }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid12124456 So, I declare that Mr Nicholas is the winner of the Avatiu constituency.}{\insrsid8810387\charrsid12124456  }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid12124456 I will have to sign a certificate which I antic
ipate perhaps Mr Elikana the Electoral Office prepare the necessary certificate and submit it to me or perhaps if the Chief Justice is here next week, to him.}{\insrsid8810387\charrsid12124456  }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid12124456 
I am not sure that I necessarily need to be the Judge that signs it off.}{\insrsid8810387\charrsid12124456  }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid12124456 But I apologize for the wait but for the reasons I have explained, there was good cause for it.}{
\insrsid8810387\charrsid12124456  }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid12124456 
\par 
\par }{\insrsid12124456 [5] \tab }{\insrsid12925613\charrsid12124456 Costs, the winner is Mr Nicholas, so he goes ahead and gives his memorandum and followed by Mr Crocombe in response, 14 days each way, is that workable?
\par 
\par }\pard \ql \li0\ri0\nowidctlpar\wrapdefault\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid8810387 {\i\lang2057\langfe1033\langnp2057\insrsid12925613\charrsid5864427 Mr Mitchell:}{\lang2057\langfe1033\langnp2057\insrsid5864427  -}{
\lang2057\langfe1033\langnp2057\insrsid8810387  }{\lang2057\langfe1033\langnp2057\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 Thank you Sir.}{\lang2057\langfe1033\langnp2057\insrsid8810387  }{\lang2057\langfe1033\langnp2057\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 
There is one other matter, you may recall you made an order this morning that the position be ascertained as at the end of the hearing of the Petition as opposed to the counter petition.
\par }\pard \ql \li0\ri0\nowidctlpar\wrapdefault\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid8810387 {\lang2057\langfe1033\langnp2057\insrsid5864427 
\par }\pard \ql \li0\ri0\nowidctlpar\wrapdefault\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid8810387 {\i\lang2057\langfe1033\langnp2057\insrsid12925613\charrsid5864427 Court:}{\i\lang2057\langfe1033\langnp2057\insrsid5864427  -}{
\lang2057\langfe1033\langnp2057\insrsid8810387  }{\lang2057\langfe1033\langnp2057\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 Yes, thank you and I do have that.}{\lang2057\langfe1033\langnp2057\insrsid8810387  }{
\lang2057\langfe1033\langnp2057\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 The Petition at the 
end of the Petition and all of the Petition votes were able to be counted was 284 to Mr Nicholas, 282 to Mr Crocombe and thank you Mr Mitchell, I think by this time of the day, I was a little tired and overlooked those figures.}{
\lang2057\langfe1033\langnp2057\insrsid8810387  }{\lang2057\langfe1033\langnp2057\insrsid12925613\charrsid8810387 The scrutineers obviously have copies of these tally sheets anyway, thanks counsel.
\par }}