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Caribbean L 16 ife, JANUARY 1-7, 2021
Former Barbados government minister, Donville Inniss. Photo by George Alleyne
Barbadian due in
New York court
By George Alleyne
A New York judge could possibly
soon have another Barbadian standing
in that judicial officer’s court answering
to money laundering charges, the
same for which the island’s former government
minister, Donville Inniss, was
convicted.
A New York court had in January
found Inniss guilty of two counts of
money laundering and conspiracy to
commit money laundering based on
bribes received from a Barbados insurance
company that had its headquarters
in Bermuda.
During the course of the trial in the
District Court of the Eastern District of
New York authorities alleged that two
executives of the company, Insurance
Corporation of Barbados, Alex Tasker
and Ingrid Innes, were co-conspirators
in a plot to pay between 2015 and 2016
the then government minister $36,000
to use his authority to ensure that
the firm’s million-dollar contract with
a state-owned company under Inniss’
ministerial portfolio is renewed.
The US Attorney’s Office alleged that
he and the executives conspired to hide
the payment by having the money sent
to a New York dental company, then into
his bank account through a number of
transfers.
American authorities had applied to
the Barbados government for Tasker’s
extradition on charges of conspiracy
to launder money and money laundering.
The island’s attorney general
accepted the request and issued an
arrest warrant for Tasker on Monday.
As is customary in such cases he was
then dragged before the local court for
a hearing.
US authorities are said to be conducting
similar proceedings against Innes,
reportedly a Guyanese-Canadian, who
has taken up residence in Canada.
The court placed Tasker on $100,000
bail, seized his travel documents and
ordered him to reappear on Jan. 12.
But Tasker’s lead attorney among
his battery of lawyers, Andrew Pilgrim,
made known that his client was going
nowhere without a fight and contended
that the issue is one of a large powerful
country bullying tiny Barbados.
“I am always nothing short of amazed
when a person like Donald Trump and
the United States of America could
come into our little country and say to
us, ‘Go and lock up your citizens. Don’t
mind having shown them nothing yet;
you go and lock them up.’ Go at their
house at 3:30 in the morning and bring
them to court’,” he said.
“What is special about Alex Tasker,
who has been living in Barbados his
whole, entire life, for them to bring
some five-year-old charges now for
whatever reason? I don’t know if it is
because Mr. Inniss is up there slipping
through their fingers,” Pilgrim asked,
implying that though convicted Inniss
may escape prison time.
Meanwhile, Inniss, who is out on bail
awaiting sentencing in April, indicated
to Barbados media houses that he wishes
Tasker well.
At the same time, he however stated,
“I am not distracted on court issues in
Barbados that I am not a defendant. I
remain focused on fighting the injustices
meted out to me in the USA. I was
not bribed by anyone or any company in
Barbados or anywhere and will continue
to fight these charges and convictions.”
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