On January 16, 2020, a jury in the Eastern District of New York found Donville Inniss (“Mr. Inniss”) guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h), and two counts of substantive money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(2)(A). Mr. Inniss now moves for a judgment of acquittal on all three counts of conviction, pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 29(c)(2) (“Rule 29(c)(2)”). For the reasons set forth below, Mr. Inniss’s motion is respectfully DENIED.
-Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto
On the 24 July 2020 Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto of the United States District Court Eastern District of New York in the matter United States of America v. Donville Inniss denied Inniss’ request for acquittal on all three counts of conviction – see Donville Inniss GUILTY as Charged. As a human being AND Barbadian the blogmaster feels some sympathy for the disgraced former member of parliament for St. James South. It is reported Inniss could be sentenced to a maximum of 25 years for crimes committed.
A read of Judge Matsumoto’s Summary of the Matter raises again the question about the local players fingered in the corruption which originated at ICBL. Will they ever have to face trial in the USA or Barbados? It seems incomprehensible to the average John Citizen that a former minister in the Barbados government was arrested and found guilty in a foreign land for a crime that had its incubation in Barbados and no punitive action taken by local authorities.
The blogmaster anticipates the communication machinery of the Barbados Labour Party is already being tuned – three years before the general election is constitutionally due – to take full advantage of the incarceration of former minister Inniss. It is interesting to note this week the Integrity in Public Life Act (2020) was passed in parliament and prime minister Mottley indicated she expects the Integrity Commission to be established by next year. If it is one thing the blogmaster is sure about is that the commission will be established before the bell rings to call the next general election.
The blogmaster’s calender has been updated with the 23 November, 2020 at 11AM. What ever happens it will be a date that will admit Barbados officially to political infamy.
Leave a Reply to TronCancel reply