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Donville Inniss Victim or Criminal?

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Former Minister Donville Inniss

The blogmaster couldn’t avoid the noise generated in the local newsfeed covering the return of former member of parliament Donville Inniss. Inniss was incarcerated in the United States for breaking money laundering laws and suffered the embarrassment of being deported last weekend.

Inniss served his time and is free to continue with his endeavours in idyllic Barbados, UNLESS, local authorities intend to prosecute a matter that originated in Barbados. There is a good chance local authorities will allow the Inniss matter to die in the spirit of a few protecting the many which is the mantra of the political directorate.

The blogmaster will not judge the Don except to say many are not as convinced of his innocence as he is.. It would be in the interest of local authorities to give Donville his day in a local court so that he can expose the lies of the ‘pale face people and house niggas’ he referred to in his home coming media orchestrating. 

Barbadians should keep in memory that another local, Alex Tasker has an extradition matter pending – if successful – has the potential to shed additional light on the matter as it relates to how local actors assisted in the crime Inniss was convicted in the USA. The fight against extradition by Alex Tasker a former local employee of ICBL and Ingrid Innes former CEO domiciled in Canada have the potential to keep Inniss in the unfavourable glare of the public for some time. 

Commonsense suggests the political ambition of Donville Inniss has been extinguished. However, the blogmaster joins with concerned Barbadians to fuss against the inability of the political establishment to materially commit to rooting white collar corruption. Do not bother to refer to Barbados’s standing on the Transparency Index, a measure based on a perception shaped by players who are mainly responsible for the current state of affair.

On a related note the blogmaster read about the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) meeting advertised, a joint zonal meeting today (26 March 2023) with former candidates Michael Lashley, David Estwick and Neil Marshall promoted to speak. Sometimes so much more can be conveyed by simply making and observation without commenting.

In God we trust!

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356 responses to “Donville Inniss Victim or Criminal?”

  1. David Avatar
    David

    Prosecutor: There is enough evidence

    Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Alliston Seale, SC, has dismissed suggestions that former Insurance Corporation of Barbados Ltd (ICBL) executive Alex Tasker should be given leave to appeal, saying that the Magistrates’ Court had enough evidence on which to find a prima facie case.

    Seale made the submissions in the Court of Appeal yesterday.

    He argued that one of the issues for consideration was whether “the court should allow, having heard the arguments of (Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes) that suggest, among other things, that the offence committed by the applicant (Tasker) was an offence not known to law in Barbados”.

    He further argued that in relation to transnational crime, regardless of how it impacted one state compared to another, “once some part of it is perpetuated in a particular state, that state then certainly has the right to hear the matter or try the matter”.

    “We can’t say the whole transaction took place in Barbados. Part of the transaction took place in Barbados but the money went into an account in the United States. And it did not stay in Crystal Dental Labs. It moved from there to Mr Inniss’ account,” Seale told the court.

    “We submit there is clearly sufficient evidence for the court to rule that a prima facie case has been made out and in these circumstances before this court, that there is no arguable case,” Seale said.

    “All of the things my friend alluded to, the element of the offences as far as the information we have, the elements are all made out. So I do not see where any of the submissions that my friend had made will be sufficient to cause this court to hear in depth any of those submissions,” he said.

    “On the face of it, that is the reason we ask that, notwithstanding the court has the discretion to extend time to hear the matter in full, there is nothing that is asserted by my friend that would cause the court to do that.

    “And it is in those circumstances the application should be dismissed,” Seale noted.

    Source: Nation

  2. David Avatar
    David

    It must already be ‘dirty’ money

    CHIEF MAGISTRATE Ian Weekes relied on “inadmissible” evidence during the extradition hearing of former Insurance Corporation of Barbados Ltd (ICBL) executive Alex Tasker.

    So said Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes as he argued in the Court of Appeal yesterday.

    The senior attorney submitted Chief Magistrate Weekes should have considered the submissions made by defence counsel.

    “It is arguable, that the evidence on which the committing magistrate relied upon was evidence which was inadmissible,” Mendes said.

    “The offence of money laundering is committed if you are dealing with money that is the proceeds of crime,” the senior attorney told the court.

    “The important thing is the money you are dealing with must already have the characteristic. It must already be ‘dirty’ money,” Mendes said.

    The Senior Counsel stressed Tasker should be dealt with by a Barbadian law court. He argued it was not a matter for extradition.

    “In this case, it is clear the money was transferred to a Barbadian official and then it became dirty money.

    “We say, at the very least, that it is arguable that the offence of money laundering isn’t made out on the evidence before the court. Arguably, this is an offence a citizen of Barbados should not be extradited for,” Mendes argued, as he petitioned the Court of Appeal to grant Tasker leave to appeal.

    Source: Nation

    Source: Nation

  3. David Avatar
    David

    Court of Appeal reserves decision

    THE COURT OF APPEAL has reserved its decision on whether former Insurance Corporation of Barbados Ltd (ICBL) executive Alex Tasker should be given leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal.

    This came after it heard arguments from Tasker’s legal counsel and attorneys representing the United States’ government yesterday.

    Tasker, of Mayfair Terrace, Leadvale, Christ Church, is fighting a September 8, 2021 courtordered extradition 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.

    Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Alliston Seale, SC, is representing the United States’ government in association with Principal State Counsel Oliver Thomas.

    Tasker is represented by Senior Counsel Andrew Pilgrim, Douglas Mendes, SC, and Clay Hackett.

    President of the Court, Justice of Appeal Francis Belle, who presided with Justice of Appeal William Chandler and Justice of Appeal Jacqueline Cornelius-Thorne reserved the court’s decision.

    Tasker’s defence team had appealed to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) after the Court of Appeal dismissed its application for leave to appeal to the CCJ and discharged interim orders staying the order for committal made by Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes and restraining the State from embarking on any course of conduct which would result in Tasker’s surrender to United States authorities.

    Senior Counsel Pilgrim then filed an urgent application to the regional court, claiming there was a miscarriage of justice and saying Tasker was not given a chance to be heard.

    The CCJ later reopened the matter and subsequently sent Tasker’s legal team back to the Court of Appeal.

    Source: Nation

  4. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Lucky Jack.

    “PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad — Former FIFA vice president Jack Warner won a decade-long court battle on Tuesday against being extradited to the U.S. to face corruption charges in a bribery scandal involving soccer’s world governing body.”

  5. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    If Trinidadians endured an ACTUAL ARMED assault on their parliament and an attempted coup… and treated the whole affair like a big joke and an excuse for an impromptu block party …and then let everyone go free…
    …did ANYBODY REALLY think that they would extradite a man who was UNIVERSALLY known to be guilty of outdoing ALL the other big crooks at FIFA? …a man who used much of that money to buy political , football and other favors in T&T and beyond?

    Steupsss…
    Waste of court time…

  6. TheOG Avatar
    TheOG

    I have long supported Jack Warner NOT being extradited to the USA. This was not based on special information or a knowledge of law but on a simple belief that ‘what is good for the goose is good for the gander’.

    The US despite its numerous treaties with other countries is often slow to extradite its own citizens to other countries. Scour the internet and you will see that extradition is usually a one-way street (to the US) and if you dig hard enough you may find cases where the US refused to extradite one of its citizen.

    Note- this is not a ‘set Jack Warner free’ composition. It is a simple statement that citizens all over the world should have the same human rights.

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