Duane O’Connor challenges TUCO’s semi-final results

CALYPSONIAN Duane O’Connor, who was a semi-finalist in last Saturday’s Calypso Fiesta, through his attorney Keith Beckles, has sent a pre-action protocol letter to Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO) president, Lutalo Masimba.

The letter, issued yesterday, is challenging O’Connor’s exclusion from the National Calypso Monarch finals on Sunday at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain. Beckles said O’Connor, a former winner, found a discrepancy on the score sheet of one of the judges after he performed his song No Front Page in position 37.

He said his mark under the melody criteria was changed from 28 to 25 and he wants to know why since he contends melody does not change during a song.

This resulted in a total of 413 points, as opposed to 416 points, that would have put O’Connor, according to Beckles, in the same position as four other finalists and obviously in the final.

Beckles noted that under part 3.8 of the handbook titled Evaluation of Adjudication, the committee failed to summon the judge to account for the change.

In the circumstances, he is demanding that O’Connor be given a place in the finals of the competition, as well as a comprehensive response and/or explanation as to why his score was changed.

TUCO has 12 hours in which to respond, failure to do so can see further legal action being taken against the calypso body, and an attempt at stopping the competition.

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