VAZ

Member of Parliament for West Portland, Daryl Vaz, testified yesterday that he was an American citizen and had travelled to several countries on his American passport.

He said, however, that he had never pledged allegiance to the United States of America.

Vaz was testifying at the election petition hearing in the Supreme Court, said he had never done anything to maintain his U.S. citizenship.

Petition filed

People's National Party candidate Abe Dabdoub has filed a petition contending that Vaz was not entitled to be an MP because he has American citizenship. Dabdoub contends further that, because of his American citizenship, Vaz has pledged allegiance to a foreign power, which is in breach of the Jamaican Constitution.

Yesterday, attorney-at-law Gayle Nelson showed Vaz an immigration form. Vaz admitted his signature was on it. He admitted he used his American passport when he landed in the island in October last year and that it was stamped on the form that he should leave the island today, January 9, and was not permitted to work while in the island. Questioned as to whether he planned to leave the island today, Vaz said no.

Vaz testified that, from 1978 to now, he has received four American passports. He received his current passport on May 5, 2004.

Took no oath of allegiance

On being asked whether, between 1963 and the present, he had taken an oath of allegiance to the U.S., the court was told that Vaz had already answered that question in his affidavit. In the affidavit, Vaz stated he had not taken an oath of allegiance to the U.S.

Questioned as to whether he had lived in the U.S. since 1963, Vaz said he went to the U.S. to study from August 1978 to June 1979, and again from August 1981 to May 1983. He said when he travelled on his U.S. passport, it was his decision.

He was asked if when he went to the American Embassy for his passport he was asked to take an oath that he would support and defend the Constitution of the Unites States and bear true allegiance. Vaz said he was not asked to take such an oath.

Vaz admitted to having a Social Security number but said he could not recall when he got it. He said he had never owned property in the United States. He said he used his U.S. passport to enter jurisdictions where a U.S. passport could be used in lieu of a visa, but he used his Jamaican passport on return to Jamaica.

He said he used his U.S. passport once on his return to Jamaica because he had misplaced his Jamaican passport.