ABDF Adds Firepower to Legal Team as Willock Seeks Compensation

The Office of the Attorney General has added another Attorney-at-Law to the fight as the Antigua Barbuda Defence Force (ABDF) continues to defend a claim brought by Captain Javonson Willock.

The ABDF is now represented by attorneys-at-law Joy Dublin-Baptise, Rose-Anne Kim, and Wattisa Rose from the AG’s Office, and Danielle Emanuel (Attorney-at-Law) and Alando Micheal (Staff Judge Advocate) from the ABDF. Meanwhile, Willock continues to represent the case himself.

On December 19, 2024, Willock filed a claim seeking compensation against his superiors for acting unlawfully and misconduct in Public Office.

Willock alleges that his superiors are statute-barred from initiating disciplinary proceedings against him, yet they continue nevertheless. Willock also claims that the Chief of Defence Staff’s actions were motivated by targeted malice as he exercised his powers in bad faith for an ulterior motive.

Willock applied to the Court for an order instructing his superiors to hand over all the evidence they collected against him dating back to 2020, including Audio recordings taken during his disciplinary trial.

However, Willock’s superiors have opposed his request, stating that the requested information is inadmissible and not relevant to the current case.

Willock has since applied to the Court to treat the first hearing scheduled for February 11, 2025, as the trial of the claim because his superiors failed to file their defense within 28 days as outlined in the Civil Procedure Rules.

Willock also told the court that the parties made no agreement to extend the time to file any defense, nor did the defendants apply for an extension of time to file their defense.

This legal battle between Willock and the hierarchy of the ABDF spans over four years, resulting in 3 lawsuits at the High Court and 2 in the Court of Appeal.

Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]