11. On the other hand, the case of American Cyanamid vs. Ethicon Ltd
(1975) AC 396 underscored the need for a court considering an
application for temporary relief to be satisfied that the claim was not
frivolous or vexatious but, rather, presented a serious question to be
tried; without necessarily delving into the determination of a prima
facie case, an exercise that could entail the resolution of questions of
law and/or fact upon which the substantive suit hinges. This position
is reflected in Halsbury’s Laws of England, Vol. 11 (2009), 5th
Edition, para. 385, and was cited with approval by this Court in the
case of Mbidde Foundation & Another vs. Secretary General of the
East African Community & Another Consolidated Application No.
5 & 10 of 2014.
12. In the present Application, it was strongly argued for the Applicant
that the Constitutional Court of Burundi misinterpreted the
Constitution of Burundi, as well as the Arusha Peace Agreement
and, therefore, the Second Respondent’s acceptance of Mr.
Nkurunziza’s nomination as a Presidential Candidate on the basis of
the erroneous court interpretation was in contravention of the said
legal instruments.
It was posited that, to the extent that Mr.
Nkurunziza’s nomination thus contravened the prevailing legal
regime in Burundi, it contravened Articles 5(3)(f), 6(d), 7(2), 8(1)(a)
and (c), and 8(5) of the Treaty.
We understood Mr. Deya to
advance two (2) positions; first, that the decision of the
Constitutional Court was itself in issue within the precincts of
Article 30(1) of the Treaty and, secondly, he equated the said court
decision to an ‘action’ attributable to the First Respondent within
Reference No. 5 of 2015
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