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Donville Inniss’ File Missing from Mottley’s Red Bag

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It is also a different version of how the story got out than what our own Attorney-General said last Thursday after the verdict was handed down. He said: “It is significant that the conviction came about because individuals who had knowledge of the events were prepared to speak out and to give evidence about wrongdoing.” The AG added: “This is something that is required at all levels in Barbados’ society whether dealing with the scourge of corruption or the scourge of gun violence.

Donville Inniss Case Points to Endemic Corruption in Barbados

The traditional media is off and running with the big headlines about the sentence federal District Court Judge Kiyo Matsumoto is scheduled to deliver today in New York in the Donville Inniss matter. It is the story traditional media will have a healthy appetite for because of flagging circulation.

Mia’s Red Bag has come up empty so far

 

The concern of the blogmaster confirmed in the deliberations during the Donville Inniss trial is the strong inference there is pervasive corrupt behaviour in the way business is conducted by some PUBLIC and PRIVATE officials in Barbados. Successive governments over the years have paid lip service to unearthing and punishing corruption even in the face of obvious indications of wrong doing. The Mia Mottley government is better placed than her predecessors given the unprecedented mandate handed to her government to do something about it. It is no secret however to those in the know that Donville and Mia are bosom buddies.

The following is a blog repost from January 20, 2020 which captures key concerns by the blogmaster, the late journalist Patrick Hoyos and the BU family.

Donville Inniss Case Points to Endemic Corruption in Barbados

The blogmaster found the Patrick Hoyos article to be – without prolix – a good summary of the Donville Inniss matter. Especially as it pertains to the inference other payments were made to Donville Inniss and that bribery by elected officials was commonplace in Barbados. Although we have the Attorney General et al saying that local laws would not have permitted prosecution of Inniss this position was challenged during the Inniss trial.

The blogmaster’s wish is that we have a dispassionate debate in Barbados and a call to action by our officials regarding the honest prosecution of public officials. It is ironic former Speaker of the House MICHAEL CARRINGTON and Adriel Brathwaite, former Attorney General showed support for Inniss by attending the trial in New York. CARRINGTON’s legacy will be that a High Court judge had to issue a court order for him to release monies due his client 70+ John Griffiths, the blogmaster will remember Brathwiate for promising to report to parliament the status of Mia Mottley’s qualification (LEC) to practice before the Courts of Barbados. He never did.

The time has come to arrest the moral and ethical rot- add criminal. We have started to experience the negative fallout of pushing our heads in the sand.

Time for the authorities to do a job.

Time for the Prime Minister, Attorney General and stakeholders to lead the charge.

Importantly, time for John Citizens to hold officials accountable.

Read full text of BU blog – https://barbadosunderground.net/2020/01/24/donville-inniss-case-points-to-endemic-corruption-in-barbados/

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817 responses to “Donville Inniss’ File Missing from Mottley’s Red Bag”

  1. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    The elimination of corruption and criminal behaviour from our society is everybody’s business. We cannot embolden others,but we can embolden ourselves. We should all play our parts. It must start with us individually, not the politicians. They reflect us.

  2. watchman Avatar
    watchman

    Status quo from the TOP standing up for corruption and wrongdoing

  3. David Avatar
    David

    @Vincent

    You should have noted the blogmaster was at pain to mention public and private sector. You should also take on board that the tenor of the culture we must encourage is set from the TOP. It does not happen by accident.

  4. Dompey Avatar
    Dompey

    Vincent Codrington

    We must not fool into believing for one second that Corruption is this new phenomenon that is so intricately interwoven in every facet of the Barbadian life today, when both Political Parties thought is best to concealed from the general public in the 1970s, the statistical data regarding violent crime associated with the Tourist Industry, in an effort to secure the integrity of the Industry.

  5. John A Avatar
    John A

    Imagine at this stage in a US court and not a man or woman get charge for tiefing even a stapler here pun de rock!

    That to me is an embarrassment.

  6. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    WHO PAID BRIBES TO DONVILLE INNISS ?

  7. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ David BU at 9 :05 AM

    Individual human beings are at the top. They carry to these top posts their sense of good and evil. This sense of integrity is very very personal. After reaching the top ,one is not imbued with integrity one takes it there. That is where we as individuals add value. This is true of the Private sector and the private sector.
    If individual electors vote for a candidate of low morality , that elector has actively engaged in endorsing that leader’s standard of integrity. So no free passes. We must take responsibility for the people we selected for the top.

  8. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    Correction.
    It should read: ” Private and Public sectors.”

  9. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    @ Vincent Codrington,

    I get the impression that you are a man of integrity and morality.

    The same cannot be said for a some ” prominent ” persons in Barbados.

  10. David Avatar
    David

    @Vincent

    Implementing a governance structure that is properly executed is necessary to ensure compliance by all; remove loose interpretations etc. It cannot be left to wild Wild West interpretations or to be exploited by those with ill informed ethics etc.

  11. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ John A at 9:26
    Why is it an embarrassment ? Do you not understand the transitioning culture? We argued for political independence without wanting to shoulder the responsibility of independence. We need to put in place vigilance and hard work. We get instead meaningless emancipation rhetoric.

  12. David Avatar
    David

    @Vincent

    Agree with this comment. We need to get on with it.

  13. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    Dompey at 9:08 AM

    Publishing statistics on crime is not a meaningful social objective. Solving /stemming the increase in crime should be the target. What you are suggesting enhances the game of blame and shame. What a waste of time and energy.!!!

  14. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    @Vincent Codrington April 27, 2021 10:11 AM “If individual electors vote for a candidate of low morality , that elector has actively engaged in endorsing that leader’s standard of integrity. So no free passes. We must take responsibility for the people we selected for the top.”

    Even while true. It may be that sometimes the electorate truly does not know. I for one was surprised about Donville’s arrest.

  15. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    Famous Enuff at a small-time level..

    “Former Government minister Donville Inniss will appear in a New York court to be sentenced today.

    Inniss, the 55-year-old former minister of Government, is scheduled to appear before United States Judge Kiyo Matsumoto in the Eastern District Court of New York to hear his fate on two counts of money laundering and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

    He was convicted 15 months ago and also fined US$36 000, the exact amount of money he received in bribe payments from the Insurance Corporation of Barbados Ltd (ICBL).

    Inniss was first charged in August 2018 and found guilty of the three counts in January 2020.

    The prosecution is recommending a sentence between five to eight years, but his legal team is asking for a probationary sentence and extensive community service. Whatever the outcome of today’s sentencing, the defence will be appealing. (SAT).”

  16. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    I believe that he will get a fairly heavy sentence because the U.S. government wants to make an example of him. It seems to me that in the eyes of the U.S. government a long serving Cabinet Minister is not the same as “Kemar” on the block A long serving Cabinet Minister carries a much greater level of responsibility. I believe that his sentence will alert other high level officials, past, present and future in Barbados, this region and elsewhere that “if you use our banking system to facilitate dishonestly this is what will happen to you.” I expect that all high level officials, here and elsewhere, past, present and future will be paying very close attention this afternoon.

  17. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    Vincent just wants to blame the people for the corrupt governments, judiciary, bar association…when the people are powerless to stop these sell out beasts WHO ARE MOSTLY LAWYERS, claim to be the most educated to be found in the Caribbean, but refuse to practice ethics that they were taught in their law courses, and are small time crooks with NO MORALS robbing everybody…and using the legal system to cover their tracks and DESTROY THEIR PERCEIVED ENEMIES…when they try to expose the whole nastiness.

    …….it’s the same old colonial mindset, blame the victims…

  18. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    Same thing the prosecutor pointed out….Inniss knows what he did, admitted forging a document to benefit himself…but pointed prosecutors to the state witness claiming she forged a document, so if he knew that why did he not contact the police in Barbados and have her arrested……scum in the governments, scum in the judiciary…

  19. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    Apologies to all “Kemars” on the block.

  20. David Avatar
    David

    It will be refreshing if comments can attack the issue of corruption at the root and leave the personalized arguments outside. When Inniss is sentenced it will be a black eye for Barbados. It flavours the perception by developed countries we are a banana republic.

  21. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    @David,

    What is the root of corruption in Barbados ?

  22. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    “When Inniss is sentenced it will be a black eye for Barbados.”

    i look at it a little differently…it will be A DEFINING MOMENT…to OPEN the eyes of those condoning and enabling THE CORRUPTION so they will know, that they should be in PRISON TOO…

    and FREE those AFRAID to speak up because the same corrupt in the parliament and judiciary WEILD the legal system AS A WEAPON against them to murder, injure and pauperize them for DECADES NOW…just to continue being corrupt sellouts….maybe now more people will come forward but to outside agencies to EXPOSE THE DEPTH of the crimes permeating the island…

    it’s the best opportunity the island has had to HEAL…from 60 years of Black human rights abuses and crimes against people and country……..i always look at the bright side……eternal optimist..

  23. David Avatar
    David

    @Hants

    Greed/avarice a human condition is at the root made worse in Barbados by an an everybody knows everybody culture and lack of a robust governance framework to police the system to whole people accountable.

  24. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    @ David,

    I could not be a politician. I too greedy and am easily led astray as evidenced by my contributions in the Diaspora Corner. lol

  25. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Buh wait! I jus hear Wickham say he ask Chris Sinckler about a possible Defection to BLPinfection. lol

  26. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    Wuh black eye wuh! Big developed country, big developed corruption.

    Donville is just small stupid fry.

    That being said I hope this point gets home to the other small time island crooks.
    .

  27. David Avatar
    David

    Up to now Barbados has not attracted a case like this one.Barbados can now be grouped with Jamaica, Trinidad, Bahamas and a few others in the region.

  28. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    “That being said I hope this point gets home to the other small time island crooks”
    Which point? Be very careful HOW the funds flow? Better off getting caught onshoring them yourself, than opening the chance your briber sells you out?

  29. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    ” I for one was surprised about Donville’s arrest.”
    Were you surprised about the arrest (getting caught) or the acts which led to the arrest?
    What DI didn’t grasp, is ICBL wouldn’t issue a $US transfer from Bridgetown. They went through head office. This exposed HO. A rookie mistake by an incompetent CEO. If ICBL had applied locally to get Fx to pay an overseas supplier, Crystal Dental Labs, this would still be a secret.

  30. John A Avatar
    John A

    @ Vincent

    I guess you are correct that the fact that no charges have been laid locally should surprise any of us. The problem here is that we can catch a fellow and charge him when it comes to stealing a tin or cornbeef from Massy, but when the crime is more technical we at a loss it would appear.

    You realise that nobody that has ever pleaded not guilty for copyright infringement in Barbados has to date been found guilty ? We are at a loss here when it comes to what we refer to as white collar crime. Thing is though with all the evidence laid in a US court its not like we had to go and investigate much did we? Even with all of it being handed to us on a platter we still could not proceed.

    Truly a sad reflection on our justice system.

  31. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    Yeah…then they want to blame the people and everything else inbetween for government ministers, lawyers and the judiciary being corrupt, dangerous and destructive to the whole population….and refusing to adhere to or recognize, inforce or implement ANY of the internaitonal laws on humans rights that they KNOW they are signatory to….give me a break there are over 500 lowlifes…all corrupt…in the black pretend elite pedigree group running from the blight of a parliament, the judiciary and the minority population WHO SHOULD ALL BE IMPRISONED…they need to be rounded up….i ain’t got the time for all the frills and bullshit people like to pretend too much…

  32. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    At least we are getting a blow by blow.

    https://www.nationnews.com/2021/04/27/inniss-arrives-court-sentencing/

    Former Government minister Donville Inniss arrived at the Eastern District Court of New York at 1:53 p.m. today for sentencing.

    The case is being heard by United States Judge Kiyo Matsumoto.

    Inniss was accompanied by his wife Gail and attorney Joel Hirschhorn.

    Moments later, former Attorney General of Barbados Adriel Brathwaite and Rev. Guy Hewitt also appeared and entered the court.

    Inniss was convicted 15 months ago on two counts of money laundering and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering

  33. David Avatar
    David

    @NO

    You are so correct. Many on the blog get trapped in the huff and puff without pausing to understand the greater underlying issues.

  34. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Donville could have ratted out some people in exchange for a lighter sentence according to a news reporter.

  35. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    VOB is standing by to give a report as soon as

  36. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    The creatives are right to open their mouths, they have always been a target of wicked leaders who rob these people, treat them as second class citizens and destroy them if they protest…time for people to come out and expose the toxic governments….it’s time to expose everything, at least David, not BU, will get to see this happening.

    https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/04/27/red-plastic-bag-blasts-regions-disrespect-for-creatives/

    “Renowned calypso and soca composer Stedson RPB Wiltshire has accused both governments and people in Barbados and the Caribbean of disrespecting the creative industry, declaring they do not show the same level of interest and appreciation as for tourism and other industries.

    Wiltshire made the remark as he joined regional figures in the creative industries in a forum on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact.The discussion reached the consensus that there would be no major return of promotions and other revenue-earning potential for entertainers before 2023.”

  37. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    There is the Emancipation Day festival that last for MONTHS IN Ghana EVERY YEAR…..ya don’t need any permission from sellout governments, just contact the organizers for info to get what ya need, ya are AFRICANS….the invite i got was from July to end of October.

  38. David Avatar
    David

    24 months.

    https://www.nationnews.com/2021/04/27/inniss-sentenced-24-months/

  39. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    24 months….to be appealed?

  40. David Avatar
    David

    That seems to be the plan.

  41. Miller Avatar
    Miller

    The Don of both porn and ministerial malfeasances would be a fool to take the ‘rap’ alone for the widespread corruption practised by his ministerial colleagues in collusion with CEO’s of statutory bodies and private sector ‘friends’ in Barbados.

    We can see why he would want to save his dentist friend from incarceration but certainly none in Barbados where, according to the Don himself, such acts of corruption are as common as muck in the dirty Cabinet of the BDLP duopoly.

    He, the Don of scam, should have asked for his palm to be greased by an alternative ‘method’ by insisting the ICBL make a tangible contribution towards the sporting facilities in his constituency instead of stealing peanuts from the money-laundering monkey jar.

    Until the players in the CLICO heist are brought to similar justice and those culprits fingered in the Auditor General’s report into the massive financial misdeeds of the BWA are brought, judicially, to ‘Christian’ understanding that one must not steal from the people then the brand-name ‘Barbados’ will always be tarnished with the stains from the ink of a banana republic.

    The Don will get off lightly by serving no more than 2 years but the shame and scandal on the Barbados wo go done in infamy.

    Now where is that UK ‘bush’ lawyer Greene when the Don needs him most to help file an appeal in case the Don has to do ‘his small time in some Federal Sing Sing?

    “Instead of politicians, let the monkeys govern the countries; at least they will steal only the bananas!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan

  42. David Avatar
    David

    @Miller

    The hole in your argument is that Inniss obviously needed access to hard currency offshore.

  43. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    @NorthernObserver April 27, 2021 1:59 PM “Were you surprised about the arrest (getting caught) or the acts which led to the arrest?”

    I am not a politically exposed, nor politically influential person, I therefore had no idea that Donville was a dishonest person. I expect that most of the electorate are similarily ignorant.

    Those of us who have never asked for nor received a bribe may not understand how other people live.

  44. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    @NorthernObserver April 27, 2021 5:23 PM “24 months…to be appealed?”

    Donville’s lawyer had said he would appeal.

    Can the Feds appeal the sentence?

    Clearly I am no lawyer.

  45. David Avatar
    David

    WShy would Donville waste money to appeal a 24 month sentence in a situation where the Judge was lenient?

  46. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    @David April 27, 2021 5:32 PM “The hole in your argument is that Inniss obviously needed access to hard currency offshore.”

    Why?

    What was the hard currency needed for?

  47. David Avatar
    David

    He has properties in the USA and other bills to pay.

  48. WURA-War-U Avatar
    WURA-War-U

    He still believes he can get away with being corrupt. All of them have that backward mentaily. They don’t believe their criminal actions have consequences, in their minds that’s only for other Black people.Some crimes ya can get more time on appeal. Don’t know if this is one. Think that’s the same amount of time he would get on the island if they bothered to prosecute public officials for corruption.

  49. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    @David April 27, 2021 5:48 PM “He has properties in the USA and other bills to pay.”

    Such as what David? Please be specific.

    Postmen, clerks, maids, gas station attendants, laborers, old age pensioners etc. pay at the same rates for food, clothing, water, electricity, telephone, gas, school clothes etc. There is no such thing as a low rate for poor people and a high rate for Cabinet ministers and other high flyers. So how do they manage without engaging in money laundering?

    A simple question.

    Gimmee a simple answer.

  50. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    @MTH
    But…they (ICBL) did donate. Read
    https://www.barbadosadvocate.com/sports/spanking-new-tennis-facility-holder%E2%80%99s-hill
    see the date, April 2016, it was likely all part of the same “deal”.
    Probably why the cash component was seen as “peanuts”.
    If he rats out others, then he’ll be in trouble. Appeal, tie up the courts, do his time, and move on.

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