By George Alleyne
Donville Inniss, a former
senior minister in the government
of Barbados just 20
months ago was Thursday
found guilty of conspiracy
to commit money laundering
and two counts of money
laundering.
When Judge Kiyo Matsumoto
of the Eastern District
Federal Court in New York
pronounced the verdict on all
three counts for which he was
charged, Inniss became etched
in the history of Barbados for
being the first of the island’s
citizens to serve in the high
office of a cabinet minister to
be convicted of a crime in the
United States.
Since 2018 Inniss, a former
minister of the last administration
that was voted out
of office that same year had
been arrested in Miami where
he has a home and resides as a
US permanent resident, taken
to New York to answer the
three-count charge, and had
an electronic bracelet placed
on his ankle with instructions
not to leave the state, pending
trial.
Along with the count of
conspiracy, he was charged
with laundering $16,536.73
in 2015, and $20,000 the following
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Caribbean L 26 ife, January 24-30, 2020
year and having them
pass through a fronting bank
account in the US then onto
his private account.
The prosecution contended
that the money was received
as bribes from an insurance
company for Inniss to direct
a state-owned company under
his ministerial portfolio to
increase the percentage of
coverage invested in the private
company.
Hearing of the case began
Monday, with the presentation
of evidence concluding
in two days; the court taking
a day off owing to the absence
of a juror; the prosecution and
defence making their summation
Thursday; and the
jury taking fewer than two
hours to convict the man who
many in Barbados saw as a
future leader of his Democratic
Labour Party and perhaps
one day becoming the island’s
prime minister.
Inniss now remains on bail
with the pre-existing conditions
until both prosecution
and defence make submissions
and counter-submissions,
which may drag on to
late February before sentencing.
Inniss’ lead defence lawyer,
Anthony L. Ricco, later
told members of Barbados’
media covering the trial that
he intends to appeal contending
that there was insufficient
evidence to convict the former
rising star in the island’s politics.
“The guilty verdict didn’t
come as a surprise to me. It is
very difficult for a person from
a foreign country. The idea of
bringing someone from a foreign
country and trying him
or her in a US court makes
it very difficult for American
jurors to judge behaviour
when they aren’t aware of the
Donville Inniss. Photo by George Alleyne
system and the culture of the
country,” Barbados’ Nation
newspapers Ricco saying.
“The government hasn’t
proven the charges beyond
a reasonable doubt. … The
government hasn’t proven its
case.”
Former Barbados gov’t
minister convicted in NY
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