The much-awaited ruling in the Election Petitions Appeal is now expected to be handed down at month end.

It had been widely anticipated that the OECS Court of Appeal would have delivered its judgment in the case during its current sitting here in Antigua.

However, The Daily OBSERVER has been reliably informed that the ruling will be delivered when the court again sits (in St Lucia) from October 25 to the 27.

This assurance was said to have been given to one of the lawyers representing the parties to the appeal, who had queried about the seemingly long delay in handing down the ruling.

However, our source poured cold water on suggestions that the Appeal Court was deliberately moving the judgment venue away from Antigua, in order to avoid the public reaction that could ensue.

The veteran lawyer, closely connected to the case, said the Court of Appeal has been dealing with the matter rather expeditiously in the circumstances, considering the appeal was only put before it in July.

The initial judgment by Justice Louise Blenman took an entire year before it was handed down on March 31 this year.

The judge departed Antigua immediately after handing down the highly controversial ruling, which is now at its last possible stage of review.