Former senator of the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) in Dominica, Dr. Thomson Fontaine, is now on bail after he was arrested upon entry to the island over the weekend.
He appeared in a court in Roseau on Monday and was granted bail by Magistrate Michael Laudat who said it was being done in the interest of the public.
Bail was set at $75,000 and he is expected to report to the Mahaut Police Station every Monday and Friday and must seek permission of the court at least 72 hours if he intends to travel.
Fontaine is also expected to not make comments on the court the matter.
An economist who has worked with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and who has been employed by the government of South Sudan as Economic and International Policy Adviser, he returned to Dominica on Saturday was was arrested at the Douglas Charles Airport on a Bench Warrant issued by then Magistrate Asquith Riviere for his failure to attend court in 2018 on a charge of obstruction and alleged incitement.
The warrant stems from Fontaine’s absence for two court appearances on the matter.
He was charged along with opposition leader Lennox Linton, Joshua Francis and Joseph Isaac.
The obstruction charges were subsequently adjourned sine die and another hearing against Linton and Fontaine was scheduled for January 22, 2019.
But due to previous absences, the presiding magistrate granted the prosecution’s request for a bench warrant for Fontaine who was not present at the hearings.
