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Donville Inniss Incarceration Exposes a Culture of Corruption

The dent to reputation suffered suffered by Barbados when former Minister Donville Inniss was jailed in the USA for money laundering should make for interesting commentary. To be expected a gullible population continues to focus on the obvious. Why was a former minister charged over a measly USD36,000.00? What Barbadians should be more concerned about…

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The dent to reputation suffered suffered by Barbados when former Minister Donville Inniss was jailed in the USA for money laundering should make for interesting commentary. To be expected a gullible population continues to focus on the obvious. Why was a former minister charged over a measly USD36,000.00?

What Barbadians should be more concerned about is the incarceration of Inniss should bring into focus how business gets done in Barbados. We have so many examples whether Cahill under the former administration or the Radical vaccine scam under the current administration to finger only two.

White collar corruption and malfeasance is always hard to ringfence in any country because the gatekeepers of justice are the powerful in society. Unfortunately in island states like Barbados, it becomes more difficult because of the incestuous nature of the beast resulting in incompetent watchdog agencies as a result of nepotism.

The following insightful comment was posted by Northern Observer. We need to lift our game as citizens in a democracy showing fissures.

@David I cannot comment on AT (Alex Tasker), I don’t know the person. What can be observed is the senior management at ICBL did not appreciate the finer points of what they were doing. What none of know is the inner workings.

Did BF&M have other issues with IRS/DOJ?

What was the relationship between the CEO-CFO at BF&M, and that CFO/others and ICBL personnel.

I mean, even after discovery, it did not have to be disclosed. Who actually found it? It was two relatively small amounts…somebody could have created paperwork after the fact. Yet, somebody also decided that wasn’t going to happen.

Imagine somebody at BF&M was upset they didn’t get the ICBL CEO job. Let’s face it, II (Ingrid Innes) wasn’t particularly well qualified, and an outsider at BF&M. The decision to disclose may have been to sink her. In the myopic Bajan view it was to get DI (Donville Inniss). But the intent may have been to get II fired, and it ends there. Maybe they were after AT. Sometimes when you don’t appreciate the ‘big picture’ a decision is made, which has ramifications one didn’t foresee.

Northern Observer

228 responses to “Donville Inniss Incarceration Exposes a Culture of Corruption”

  1. David Avatar
    David

    Doesn’t the law give the DPP and AG to consult on matters and have the parliament validate in an Order?

  2. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    RE: “It was never argued that the Office of the DPP had an investigative function or the capacity/resources to perform such.”
    ~~~~~~~~~~

    July 20, 2022 6:29 PM#: “But the DPP has that Constitutionally-enshrined AUTHORITY to INVESTIGATE ANY MATTER smelling of criminal perfume.”

    NOT MY words.

    I simply ‘ASKED:’
    Please DIRECT the FORUM to any INFORMATION that INDICATES “the DPP has that Constitutionally-enshrined AUTHORITY to INVESTIGATE ANY MATTER smelling of criminal perfume?”

    RESPONSE: July 20, 2022 9:08 PM #: excerpts from the Constitution relative to Sections 79: 1; 2 (a), (b).

    RE: “What is known that the DPP can at any time issue an “Order” to the BPS for such an investigation to be performed in order to collect evidence to support the prosecution of any case against any person ‘suspected’ of breaking the Law.”

    Completely DIFFERENT argument.

    Perhaps you may want to provide the forum with information that states the DPP has the authority to order investigations or direct investigators to take action. 

    “What is known is that,” upon request, the DPP provides ‘pre-charge’ or legal advice to the police during a criminal investigation, relative to the sufficiency of evidence and the appropriateness of charges in accordance with his/her decision whether to prosecute or not.

    Anyhow enough of that.

  3. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    @MTA
    As soon as @Artax posed the question, I realized the issue was “investigation”.
    As initiate and undertake are essentially the same thing? Begin.
    But the same DPP charged your ‘buddy’ C H and later (upon the results of further investigation by others?) withdrew the charges
    BTW whatever happened to the case against the other 2 on that boat?

  4. African Online Publishing Copyright ⓒ 2022. All Rights Reserved Avatar
    African Online Publishing Copyright ⓒ 2022. All Rights Reserved

    “What is known that the DPP can at any time issue an “Order” to the BPS ”

    the office of the DPP has TOO MUCH power to COVER FOR and reverse indictments/charges for the criminals within their orbit and social grouping..

  5. Miller Avatar
    Miller

    (Quote):
    Perhaps you may want to provide the forum with information that states the DPP has the authority to order investigations or direct investigators to take action.
    (Unquote).
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    General duties of the Force
    19.
    It shall be the duty of all members of the Force
    (a)
    to preserve the peace and prevent and detect crime and other contraventions of the law;
    (b)
    to apprehend and bring before a magistrate persons found committing any offence rendering them liable to arrest without a warrant or whom they may reasonably suspect of having committed any such offence or who may be charged by any person with having committed any such offence;
    (c)
    to charge or cause to be charged before a magistrate and to prosecute persons reasonably suspected of having committed offences in the following cases
    (i)
    in all cases of offences where it is in the opinion of a gazetted police officer desirable in the public interest that the prosecution should be undertaken by the Force; and
    (ii)
    in any other case where an order to that effect is made by the Director of Public Prosecutions or the Commissioner;

  6. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    I take note that whenever( say about 3 times )I have posted an article which goes to heart of Barbados losing the amount of 40 million dollars to Hoteliers via loans the article is not posted
    In my mind 40 million is an excessive amount of money which Barbados treasury cannot afford to lose and the receivers of those loans should be punished by way of holding whatever assets they owned or handed jail time
    Theft is theft

  7. David Avatar
    David

    Did you read the article? Do you understand why 40 million is outstanding? Who borrowed the money?

  8. William Skinner Avatar
    William Skinner

    We always make the cardinal error of either separating the office holder from the office or the office from the office holder.
    Director of Public Prosecutions.
    What does the word director mean.
    Certainly the mere title indicates the wide powers of the office of the DPP.

  9. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    DavidJuly 21, 2022 9:14 AM

    Did you read the article? Do you understand why 40 million is outstanding? Who borrowed the money

    Xcccc
    Do.u understand what 40million in revenue lost means to.the economy
    40million in outstanding debt now buffered on Covid excuses $40 million debt
    THAT’S HOW MUCH HOTELIERS OWE THE STRUGGLING SMALL HOTEL INVESTMENT FUND
    By Marlon Madden
    Small hotel operators in Barbados have been unable to meet their debt obligation to the now struggling Small Hotel Investment Fund (SHIF), which was established to provide financing for the optimization of their properties.
    Mahmood Patel, Chairman of the Intimate Hotels of Barbados (IHB), which represents just over 40 small hotels, disclosed that some members owed some $40 million to the SHIF, which is managed by the Enterprise Growth Fund Ltd. (EGFL).
    He made the revelation on Wednesday in his annual report to the IHB’s annual general meeting at the Island Inn Hotel.
    Patel suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted the ability of the small hotel operators to make good on their debt obligation.
    “IHB hoteliers are indebted approximately $40 million to the SHIF fund. Unfortunately, the fund has not performed as well, as overall payments have been tardy. When you mine down that information though, and I do not want to go into details, but it is one or two members that might even pay a cent and that has created a case of ‘Peter paying for Paul’,” he said.
    “IHB needs to find a way to have a conversation with the state [about] how do we fix this, how do we reinvent the fund or recapitalise the fund because the majority of the members were paying before COVID. That is something I would like to throw out there – how do we sit down and fix this problem for IHB members. We need to recapitalise, we need to reinvent our inventory, our plant. We have to find a constructive and creative way to get out of this hole,” said Patel.
    He said the IHB was currently engaging the EGFL in an “economic analysis” relating to the SHIF and once completed there would be a conversation between the IHB, EGFL and the Ministry of Finance to maybe find a “fiscal space” for IHB in the BEST [Barbados Employment and Sustainable Transformation] programme and then to constructively look at the debt challenges.
    He said the hope was to come up with a debt restructuring plan for the sector.
    “I would like to suggest that maybe we also look for other sources of funding like equity or sovereign funding, but we have to find space to renovate and modernise.”
    At the same time, Patel urged small hotel operators to take advantage of the Energy Smart Fund, which is also managed by the EGFL but to provide financial and technical support for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.
    He said it was necessary for the sector to be “repurposed” to become more relevant in the changing tourism market.
    He noted that in the previous iteration of the Energy Smart Fund, which is recapitalised by the Inter-American Development Bank and the European Union under the Sustainable Energy Investment Programme, only about five per cent of the IHB group applied for funding to carry out photovoltaic projects.
    This fund provides loans, grants and rebates for green projects.
    “I would like to implore all members to take up this offer. Interest rates are 3.75 per cent and I know, at least from my experience, energy is the second highest cost for my small hotel,” said Patel.
    Minister of Tourism and International Transport Senator Lisa Cummins meanwhile, admitted that the SHIF was in need of a revamp, but urged the tourism industry operators to pay up what they owed.
    She said the SHIF had been under review over the last few months and admitted that it was “not the best performing fund” of the EGFL, which manages several funds.
    “It was perhaps one of the two worse performing funds in the arsenal of dedicated funds, and largely because of repayments,” said Cummins.
    “I think if this moment in time has taught us anything it is that change is required of all of us and even if the Government were to find the fiscal space to capitalise new funds including the SHIF, there has to also be a responsibility to come from everyone to repay the funds that are made available so that we are not only benefiting ourselves, but we are allowing and creating space for others who will come behind in those five and seven years intervals or new entrants into the market to also access those funds,” she said.
    “It is simply not acceptable to be able to benefit from funds like SHIF and not repay those funds because you are damaging the sector that we represent. So that is going to be an important responsibility and I am going to call on the leadership of the IHB to ensure that you play a role in policing, along with the Government, the obligations that go along with the rights or access that Government will make available to the sector,” said Cummins.
    During his presentation, Patel also reported that the IHB was inching closer to establishing a solar photovoltaic farm and a co-operative.
    He also spoke of the need for more marketing and public relations financing while pointing out that the $50,000 received from the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) for the period 2016 to 2018 was simply not enough.
    “

  10. David Avatar
    David

    Where in the article is it indicated that 40 million was a loss? Carry on with your yardfowl agenda.

  11. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    Last/last

    My friend, it’s clear you don’t have any idea what you’re ‘talking’ about.
    According to Stuart, ‘you’re in a dark room looking for a black cat.’

    Remember, you ‘said:’
    “the DPP can at any time ISSUE an “Order” to the BPS for such an INVESTIGATION to be PERFORMED in ORDER to COLLECT EVIDENCE to support the prosecution of any case against any person ‘suspected’ of breaking the Law.”

    “…… in any other case where an order to that effect (i.e. it is desirable in the public interest that the prosecution should be undertaken by the Force) is made by the DPP or the Commissioner of Police.”

    Two COMPLETELY DIFFERENT things.

  12. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    David

    Forgive the lady. As I’ve ‘told’ her on several occasions, she reads, yet she does not understand what she read.

    Doesn’t have anything at all to with the economy.

    In simple terms, the SHIF is short of $40M as a result of hoteliers’ delinquency…… they failed to repay their outstanding debt to the fund.

    It may eventually be a loss to the fund, especially if the EGFL does not implement measures to recover the outstanding amount……
    …… or the debt is subsequently written off.
    And, after reading Patel’s remarks, it seems as though that’s the direction in which he seems ‘to be heading.’

  13. Miller Avatar
    Miller

    @ Artax July 21, 2022 7:59 AM

    Sorry Artax, maybe the verbose miller is losing it and becoming as silly as your dear friend Austin.

    What an arrogant appallingly ignorant person he is turning into!

    But at last, in spite of all the powerless of both the DPP to investigate ‘alleged’ criminal matters in Barbados, Donville is where he belongs, thanks to Uncle Sam.

    Maybe you can explain to us how small businesses can benefit from VAT write-offs as a result in the increase of the VAT threshold when those very businesses were neither registered for VAT nor charged and collected VAT from consumers.

  14. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    Barbados’ small hotels owe Government’s Small Hotels Investment Fund around $40 million, says Chairman of Intimate Hotels of Barbados, Mahmood Patel and Minister of Tourism and International Transport Senator Lisa Cummins has appealed to defaulters to pay up.

  15. David Avatar
    David

    “IHB hoteliers are indebted approximately $40 million to the SHIF fund. Unfortunately, the fund has not performed as well, as overall payments have been tardy. When you mine down that information though, and I do not want to go into details, but it is one or two members that might even pay a cent and that has created a case of ‘Peter paying for Paul’,”

  16. African Online Publishing Copyright ⓒ 2022. All Rights Reserved Avatar
    African Online Publishing Copyright ⓒ 2022. All Rights Reserved

    appealing and begging thieves to pay up….like the 1 billion in VAT disappeared…

    so what happened to sending them SUMMONS TO APPEAR for defaulting on payments…court is too good for them but not for the majority population..

    so the 300 million given to them during the height of Covid…..was that free money, and if they can’t repay 40 million how will they repay 300 million…

    all frauds and thieves from top to bottom….

  17. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    The gall that anyone can figure excuses for these undercover bandits to borrow and have no real mean for repayment
    Is Mind-boggling
    Never mind that those 40 millions if not recovered would be a payment handed over to the taxpayer in one form or another
    Wrong is wrong

  18. African Online Publishing Copyright ⓒ 2022. All Rights Reserved Avatar
    African Online Publishing Copyright ⓒ 2022. All Rights Reserved

    and they will STILL BE ALLOWED TO TIEF MORE…with no accountability…..once some usual suspect can see a CUT..

    was the 300 million dollars to them a loan…it was the most IDIOTIC give away in a time of crisis where the TAXPAYERS were SUFFERING daily…will they have to repay….seeing as dependency tourism is going the way of THE DODO BIRD……

  19. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    ,”Maybe you can explain to us how small businesses can benefit from VAT write-offs as a result in the increase of the VAT threshold when those very businesses were neither registered for VAT nor charged and collected VAT from consumers.”
    ~~~~~~~~~~

    Miller

    I cannot explain your above comments. They do not make any sense.

    Firstly, to ask “how small businesses can benefit from VAT write-offs as a result in the increase of the VAT threshold,” doesn’t make sense 🤔.
    Secondly, HOW could VAT write-offs be applicable to “those very businesses (that) were neither registered for VAT nor charged and collected VAT from consumers?”

    My friend, perhaps it goes to your preconceived definition of a small business.

    Based on MY experience, small businesses were in the ‘loop,’ when the initial threshold was $60,000 per annum, simply because there were a variety of sole proprietors who earned over $5,ooo per month in sales revenue and were encouraged to REGISTER for VAT.
    So too when the threshold was increased to $80,000 per annum ($6,667 per month).

    I completed and filed VAT returns for several VAT REGISTERED SMALL BUSINESSES, including village shops, restaurants, mini-marts, freighters, car rentals, boutique owners, water-sports, landlords etc.

    Fortunately, for them, they are no longer VAT registered since the threshold was increased to $200,000 per annum.
    But, the ‘deregistration’ process is very difficult.

  20. David Avatar
    David

    Good you have started to use the word IF. Bear in mind it is small hoteliers who have been the borrowers, many black.

  21. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    DavidJuly 21, 2022 12:03 PM

    Good you have started to use the word IF. Bear in mind it is small hoteliers who have been the borrowers, many black

    Xxxccccc

    Now see who is the yardfowl here
    Yuh look at Baxter rd and Nelson Street
    Yuh got to be a barefaced red fowl to think that a majority of that 40million is owed by black hoteliers
    Bet some of them already closed and gone heading for greener pasture those mostly white

  22. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    How many small black owned hotels are there in Barbados ?
    David wants all to belive that the 40 million in loans not repaid is constitutes small black owned hotels

  23. David Avatar
    David

    You are hopeless.

    ————————

    Small hotel operators in Barbados have been unable to meet their debt obligation to the now struggling Small Hotel Investment Fund (SHIF), which was established to provide financing for the optimization of their properties.
    Mahmood Patel, Chairman of the Intimate Hotels of Barbados (IHB), which represents just over 40 small hotels, disclosed that some members owed some $40 million to the SHIF, which is managed by the Enterprise Growth Fund Ltd. (EGFL).

  24. African Online Publishing Copyright ⓒ 2022. All Rights Reserved Avatar
    African Online Publishing Copyright ⓒ 2022. All Rights Reserved

    The bottomline, it’s all unraveling, crash and burn as it should..

  25. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    Question
    How many small.black owned managed hotels are their in Barbados
    I was hoping David could produce a list for reference
    Since he was the individual who stated that the monies owed which were borrowed from the fund would have consist of Black owned hoteliers not repaying
    David you are one of a kind red dotted speckled fowl
    Just to think that rather than pursue truth you throw in our version as to owes the fund 40 million in unpaid loans

  26. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    This govt needs to be thoroughly investigated as to the millions it has given away to the most wealthy in Barbados
    A detail account to who and why under the goverance of accountability and transparency
    Big business has used an escape valve called Covid to made calculated financial calls from govt amounting to.millions of govt revenue which must be paid back as govt had required much of its financial help from Borrowing
    Hence monies derived from financial lenders would be expected of from govt to repay
    As of present big business are the only beneficiaries of much of that money
    Meanwhile on the other side of society that is the working stiff
    Govt has handed out a few goodie baskets a vat free shopping list with foods than can clog arteries like a pig tail and for good measure electric buses and garbage trucks the last two which would at some point and time require the public a measure of financial share for repayment

  27. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    oh Canada

    https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/royal-bank-cra-bahamas-offshore-court-1.6533070

  28. David Avatar
    David

    Act gives Tasker ‘right to appeal’

    THE FORMER vice-president of the Insurance Corporation of Barbados Ltd (ICBL), Alex Tasker, has a right to appeal his court-ordered extradition under the Magistrates’ Court Act.
    So said King’s Counsel Andrew Pilgrim as he made preliminary arguments in the Court of Appeal yesterday.
    It was on September 8, last year, that Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes ordered Tasker, of Mayfair Terrace, Leadvale, Christ Church, to be extradited to the United States to face a trial for conspiracy to launder money and two counts of money laundering between August 2015 and April 2016.
    At the time Weekes had advised Tasker that under the law, his surrender could not take place until 15 days, from the date of his decision, had passed.
    The Chief Magistrate had further advised him that under the Section 19 of the Extradition Act, he could either appeal or file a writ of habeas corpus.
    Extradition Act
    Pilgrim, who represented the former ICBL vice-president in association with Neville Reid, has filed grounds under the Magistrates’ Court Act, as well as an application for leave under the Extradition Act.
    Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Alliston Seale and Senior State Counsel Oliver Thomas are representing the United States government in the appeal.
    Yesterday, Pilgrim referred
    to Sections 238 (1) (A) of the Magistrates’ Court Act, saying: “My interpretation of that is that it is specifically saying that where there is a conviction or where there is a different type of proceeding other than one in which a conviction would be the result, the complainant or informant has a right to appeal.”
    Pilgrim continued that Subsection B of 238 said the defendant or person negatively affected by an order of a magistrate also had a right of appeal.
    “It is very clear from this language that it is not limiting the proceedings to summary proceedings or to preliminary inquiries,” Pilgrim argued.
    “The language is distinctly broad and wide and is indicating a jurisdiction which, in my submission, encompasses all matters before magistrates,” Pilgrim said.
    “In the three parts of 238 (1), in our submission, the magistrate under this Act is exposed to appeals from all parties in all matters in my view and it is not vague and ought not to be circumvented easily,” he added.
    “Section 238 (1) gives all persons before magistrates in Barbados the right to appeal any order against them and it is my submission that this is not a right that should be easily subtracted from or denigrated from. And there is no indication that the Extradition Act stands separate and apart from this,” Pilgrim further argued.
    Arguments continue before President of the Court, Chief Justice Patterson
    Cheltenham, and Justices of Appeal Rajendra Narine and Francis Belle on Friday.
    Until then Tasker remains on $200 000 bail, his passport remains in the custody of the court and he will continue to report to the Glebe Police Station every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday while on a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew.


    Source: Nation

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