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An election “marred by irregularities.” This is the finding of the Basse-Terre Court of Appeals, which on Wednesday, May 20, annulled the results of the election for members of the Guadeloupe Bar Association’s governing board, held last December 13.
Two lawyers had challenged the election results and raised allegations of irregularities. The two petitioners, Marie-Pierre Saget-Jolivière and Olivier Chipan, were thus upheld by the Court of Appeal.
The judges supported their decision by identifying several major irregularities concerning both the organization and the conduct of the election. Starting with the notification of voters. On November 21, 2025, the President of the Bar convened the general election assembly using the “DIGIBARRE” app. The problem is that the Bar Association failed to demonstrate that all lawyers were registered on this platform. Furthermore, the regulations stipulate that the notice should have been sent via postal mail or a personalized email to lawyers who are eligible to vote.
An Irregular Second Round
Furthermore, the Court of Appeals’ ruling notes an inconsistency in the election minutes. In the first round of voting, three of the four candidate pairs received more than 50% of the votes. Consequently, they should have been elected as soon as these results were announced. However, a second round was held, resulting in the election of the fourth pair.
Finally, another irregularity motivated the Court’s decision. And it directly concerns Saint Barthélemy. The notice of election designated Maître Mélissa Malaval as the president of the bar association’s representative to preside over the election, in addition to her own candidacy. However, it was found that the attorney was not a member of the Bar Council. This is a requirement under the internal regulations for presiding over a remote polling station. When contacted by the JSB for clarification, Maître Malaval did not respond.
While she did not respond to the interview request from our colleagues at La 1ère, the Bar Association President, Marie-Michelle Hildebert, spoke out in the pages of France-Antilles. “For years, colleagues from the Northern Islands had to travel or grant proxies to vote, which entailed costs and constraints (accommodation, limited flights),” the president of the Bar Association stated in the Guadeloupe daily. “Under my predecessors, the relocation of elections was established. Maître Malaval, a member of the Bar Council for six consecutive years, has always served as the President’s delegate in Saint-Barthélemy. Elections have always been held at his office without any issues. "Until this election.
A new election will be held in June.
