Can Caribbean governments jail officials?
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Political scientist specialising in regional affairs, Tennyson
Joseph. Photo by George Alleyne
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By George Alleyne
In spite of corruption
allegations being frequently
levelled at Caribbean
government officials, the
region has a poor track record
of public administrators being
prosecuted and jailed.
Revelations last weekend that
the United States government
has what it claims is evidence of
bribe-taking by other Barbados
government officials in addition
to that alleged against former
minister Donville Inniss,
has brought to the fore the
question of whether Caribbean
governments are able to
prosecute and jail elected
officials accused of corruption.
Barbados’ Sunday Sun
newspaper reported on US
prosecutors alleging that
the Insurance Corporation
of Barbados Ltd. (ICBL), the
company which admitted to
complicity in a bribe-giving
allegation against Inniss, has
also made similarly illegal
payments to others.
Inniss was in August 2018
arrested in Florida and charged
with one count of conspiracy to
launder money and two counts
of money laundering.
Placed on $50,000, he was
brought to New York for a
further federal court hearing.
The US Attorney’s Office,
Eastern District of New York
stated, “the charges stem from
Inniss’ acceptance of bribes
from a Barbadian insurance
company in 2015 and 2016
when he was a public official.”
He allegedly conspired with
persons in a Barbados company,
ICBL, to pay him $36,000 for
using his authority to ensure
that the firm’s million-dollar
contract with a state-owned
agency “under his ministerial
portfolio is renewed.”
The US Attorney’s Office
alleged that he conspired to
hide the payment by having
the money sent to a New York
dental company, then into his
bank account through several
transfers.
Inniss’ trial was set for
last Friday but his attorneys
requested more time to a date
to be announced after the US
prosecutors made the revelation
of other bribe-taking.
“The (US) government
has disclosed evidence to the
defendant that ICBL made
payments to other government
officials in Barbados,” the
Sunday Sun newspaper quoted
from court documents.
“The charges against the
defendant are entirely unrelated
to other payments that ICBL
made to other government
officials.”
This US government
disclosure, without giving
names, of other alleged
bribe-takers at this time was
apparently aimed at halting
any defence contention that
government officials taking
money from companies is
commonplace, so Inniss was
not out of order and no one
has been prosecuted for such a
crime in Barbados.
“The court should preclude
the defendant from introducing
evidence or argument
concerning Barbadian criminal
law enforcement, including that
he has not to date been charged
publicly in Barbados with any
crimes,” the prosecutors added.
“Any evidence or argument
concerning the action taken
or not taken by Barbadian
Former Barbadian
government minister
Donville Inniss.
Photo by George Alleyne
Continued on Page 24
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