Page 8
Kaieteur News
Where is ‘Dudus’ money? - State fails to find millions in assets and cash allegedly amassed through drugs empire
Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke (Jamaica Gleaner) The government-owned Assets Recovery Agency (ARC) is yet to find any of the millions of dollars in assets which former Tivoli Gardens gangster Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke was supposed to have amassed over the years. It is believed that Coke built up a multimillion-dollar empire through illegal means. This prompted the ARC to go after his assets, and in January, the Supreme Court gave the ARC the green light to seize Coke’s assets, including those held by his company Presidential Click Promotions. A Supreme Court judge had granted a request from the ARC for a default judgment to be entered against Coke after he did not respond to the suit to seize his assets. But last week, Michael Hylton, QC, who is representing the ARC, disclosed that “no significant assets have been identified in his (Coke’s) name”.
The ARC had filed a claim in the Supreme Court in 2010 against Coke, his girlfriend Stephanie Gayle, and his late mother Patricia Halliburton. In addition, the claim was extended to Coke’s former business partner Justin O’Gilvie, his wife Maxine, and two of O’Gilvie’s companies. However, in December last year, the ARC withdrew the claim against the others, leaving Coke as the sole defendant. The Supreme Court then gave Gayle and Halliburton permission to pursue a suit against the Government because their assets were frozen for two years. The ARC had filed a claim against Halliburton and Gayle, contending that the women were sheltering hundreds of millions of dollars in crime proceeds earned by Coke. Attorney-at-law Chukwuemeka Cameron, who represented Gayle and Halliburton, told The Sunday Gleaner after the claim was withdrawn that the State withdrew its action because it could not prove its case of money laundering under the Proceeds of Crime Act. The assets belonging to O’Gilvie and his wife were also listed in the claim, but the Government also withdrew the claim against them because it could not prove a case of money laundering.
The ARC had contended that Coke was a shareholder and director in O’Gilvie’s companies, but O’Gilvie produced documents to prove that Coke had no connection with his companies. The ARC obtained an order in 2010 freezing O’Gilvie’s assets and several motor vehicles were seized. The vehicles were returned after the freezing order was lifted. Attorney-at-law Paul Beswick, who is representing O’Gilvie, told The Sunday Gleaner that as a result of the freezing order, O’Gilvie lost a lot of revenue. Beswick said requests to the ARC to deal with certain businesses were not complied with. The attorney said since the freezing order was lifted in December last year, O’Gilvie has filed a suit against the ARC seeking millions of dollars in damages. Coke is now serving 23 years in prison in the United States (US) after he pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit assault in aid of racketeering. The former strongman was wanted in the US to face narcotics and gun-running charges. He was on the run in Jamaica for several weeks until he was held in June 2010. He waived his right to an extradition hearing and was flown to the US.
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (JIS) — Jamaica is to present its draft migration policy to the United Nations high level dialogue on international migration and development in October. State minister in the ministry of foreign affairs and foreign trade, Arnaldo Brown, said the UN will be inviting Jamaica to explain the development of the policy.
He was addressing a session of the just concluded Jamaica Diaspora Conference in Montego Bay. Jamaica’s elaboration of an international migration and d e v e l o p m e n t p o l i c y, which includes a diaspora and development policy, is intended to improve the government’s capacity to monitor and manage
international migration in line with the country’s socioeconomic development priorities as outlined in Vision 2030 Jamaica. The policy development initiative is being led by a consultant and the process is being funded by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
(Trinidad Guardian) Leader of the Congress of the People (COP) Prakash Ramadhar says the May 15 meeting between Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley and Integrity Commission chairman Ken Gordon at Gordon’s residence was inappropriate. The COP is a unit in the People’s Partnership Government. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and
Attorney General Anand Ramlogan have already criticised Rowley and Gordon for the meeting, which was held five days before Rowley presented a motion of noconfidence in PersadBissessar for debate in the Parliament. Ramadhar said Sunday his party “continues to stand by the position that all holders of public office must uphold the highest standards of ethical
conduct.” Ramadhar said the private meeting between Rowley and Gordon “was wholly inappropriate and its only effect would have been to render the commission, or at least its chairman, ineligible to conduct any investigation or subsequent proceedings arising out of it, into the matters raised by the Leader of the Opposition during the no-confidence debate.”
Tuesday June 18, 2013
Teen brothers stabbed to death by cell phone thieves ...they tried to help a friend
Jafar and Arshad Kadir (Trinidad Express) Two teenage brothers of Aranguez were stabbed to death Sunday as they attempted to defend a friend from cell phone thieves. Arshad Kadir, 15, and Jafar Kadir, 17, both of Ward Lane, El Socorro Road, were stabbed at the Aranquez Savannah where they were playing a game of football with friends. The boys are sons of Kaleel and Fazeela Kadir, owners of Bunty’s Muffler Service in El Socorro. Another of the brothers’ friends, Kaleel Mohammed,
16, was stabbed in the chest, but survived. The attack happened at around 6.30 p.m. when two men approached Imitiaz Boodoo, a friend of the brothers, and attempted to snatch his Samsung cell phone. “The men appeared from nowhere, but the field had other persons jogging and playing football. Arshad saw first and ran to help, then Jafar went over. A fight broke out on the field. One of the two men began to stab them”, said a close relative of the deceased,
who did not wish to be identified. Arshad was stabbed in the groin area and Jafar was stabbed through the lungs and heart. The attackers escaped. The three boys were rushed to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex at Mount Hope. Arshad and Jafar both died by 10.30 p.m. Arshad attended Brataria Secondary Comprehensive School and Jafar attended San Juan Government Secondary School. The teens were buried yesterday.
T&T President names Integrity Commission members Jamaica to present migration policy
Ramadhar: Gordon, Rowley meeting inappropriate
(Trinidad Express) President Anthony Carmona yesterday issued a statement naming the four persons to be appointed members of the Integrity Commission. The following is the statement Following the expiration of the term of office of four of the five members of the Integrity Commission, the President advises that the following four persons are to be appointed as members of the Integrity Commission: Justice Sebastian Ventour (retired), Mr. Seunarine Jokhoo, Mr. Deonarine Jaggernauth and Dr. ShellyAnne Lalchan. Justice Sebastian Ventour (retired) has had a distinguished 34-year legal career. He was Senior Partner at the law firm of Fitzwilliam, Stone, Furness-Smith and Morgan and a Judge in the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago for 14 years. He has also served at the Law Association of Trinidad
and Tobago, both as Secretary and as a Member of the Disciplinary Committee. Justice Ventour (retired) currently lectures at the Hugh Wooding Law School, where he has taught for 22 years. He is married, with three children. Mr. Seunarine Jokhoo is a returning member of the Integrity Commission, having previously been appointed to serve a three-year term on March 15, 2010. A chartered accountant, he has a 35-year history in the public service, from which he retired as Director of State Enterprises and Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry. He also worked in the private sector as Financial Controller of Amar Holdings Limited, General Manager and Director of the Citrus Growers Association and Executive Chairman of National Fisheries Company Limited. Mr. Jokhoo has chaired and served on numerous
boards. An avid farmer, he is married with four children. Mr. Deonarine Jaggernauth has given 33 years of service to the Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (Petrotrin), formerly TRINTOC and will be retiring in a few weeks. A petroleum and environmental engineer by profession, Mr. Jaggernauth is a researcher who has published many papers and received several awards including the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Distinguished Member Award in 2005. A part-time lecturer at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), he is also current Vice President of the TRINTOC Penal Credit Union. Mr. Jaggernauth is a lay-minister at the St. Benedict’s Roman Catholic Church. The Oath of Office will be administered to the new members of the Commission soon.