An Australian High Court has declared that Kenyan-born lawyer Lucy Gichuhi is free to become be the South Australian senator in the Federal Parliament.
The order comes after the Court of Disputed Returns dismissed a challenge from former Laborsenator Anne McEwen, who was questioning the eligibility of the Kenyan-born lawyer from serving as senator based on concerns about her citizenship.
Justice Geoffrey Nettle presiding over the court hearing refused Labor's application, saying issues about Ms. Gichuhi's Kenyan citizenship had been referred to during court hearings over the last three months.
'There has been nothing at all since at least January of this year precluding Ms. McEwen fromforming the basis of her application or from assembling expert material with which to supportit,' Justice Nettle said.
According to him, Ms. McEwen's application came too late.Ms. Gichuhi who became an Australian citizen in July 2001 after migrating from Kenya in 1999 was elected to fill the South Australia Senate seaton Thursday after the high court’s decision to rulethat her fellow Family First candidate Bob Day was ineligible.
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