Chief Justice Richard Ground is likely to make his judgment on the legal row over the last Hamilton mayoral election within days, he told the Supreme Court yesterday.

Mr. Justice Ground said that although he could not promise he hoped to make a decision as to whether the October 26 election result ? which saw Sutherland Madeiros beat Sonia Grant by 161 votes to 124 ? should be overturned by next Friday.

Former Deputy Mayor Miss Grant brought the case to court, alleging that Corporation of Hamilton secretary Kelly Miller and returning officer John Cooper wrongly interpreted the law by allowing companies and other organisations to change the nominees allowed to vote on their behalf after notice of the election was published.

Her original action also alleged wrongdoing on the part of Mr. Madeiros - a claim dropped on the first day of the civil hearing this week.

Miss Grant's British QC Alan Newman conceded later in the case that the decision to allow the nominees to change was not actually unlawful but simply unfair. "I'm not making allegations of personal misconduct in a deliberate sense against any of the election officers," he said yesterday.