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Gov’t’s refused adjournment in NHDC/operation pride case
Monday, 21 April 2008
Government prosecutors have been given until next Monday to put forward a case against East Kingston businessman Danhai Williams and six others charged in the multi-million dollar National Housing Development Corporation (NHDC)/Operation Pride fraud scandal.
The deadline was given to government prosecutors Monday after they applied for an adjournment of the trial for another four months to find their two main witnesses who have gone missing.
Senior government prosecutor Lisa Palmer told the Half-Way- Tree Criminal Court that Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Mark Shields has taken on the responsibility to search for the two witnesses, Lloyd McLean and Gerald Tobias.
Ms Palmer argued that it was near impossible for the Crown to make out a case without the two men who are said to be in the United States.
She requested that the trial be adjourned until August to give DCP Shields enough time to locate the witnesses.
But defence lawyers in the case demanded that the trial start Monday or the case be thrown out.
During lengthy submissions, the battery of defence attorneys argued that the matter has been before the Court for more than five years and that the prosecution cannot establish a case without the witnesses.
But after hearing the submissions, Presiding Magistrate Georgiana Fraser told the prosecutors that she would not grant them a long adjournment and ordered that they return on Monday prepared to start the trial.
The two witnesses, Lloyd McLean an engineer and Gerald Tobias, a quantity surveyor, were both employed to the NHDC.
They are reported to have been the persons who signed off on NHDC/Operation Pride projects and are needed at the trial to identify signatures and documents involved in the case.
Danhai Williams and the six accused were arrested and charged in October 2003 following a one-year probe into allegations of financial irregularities in the NHDC/Operation Pride projects.
They are accused of defrauding the Corporation of $451-million.
Mr. Williams is charged with 87 counts of fraud.
The other accused are financial controller of Danwills Construction Karl Kirkland; former Director of Technical Services at NHDC, Warren Sibbles and former Project Manager of the NHDC, Donovan Hill.
Eugenny Porter; Wayne Nash and Dwight Dawkins who were all Presidents of various Provident Societies are also charged in the case.
(radiojamaica.com)
Monday, 21 April 2008
Government prosecutors have been given until next Monday to put forward a case against East Kingston businessman Danhai Williams and six others charged in the multi-million dollar National Housing Development Corporation (NHDC)/Operation Pride fraud scandal.
The deadline was given to government prosecutors Monday after they applied for an adjournment of the trial for another four months to find their two main witnesses who have gone missing.
Senior government prosecutor Lisa Palmer told the Half-Way- Tree Criminal Court that Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Mark Shields has taken on the responsibility to search for the two witnesses, Lloyd McLean and Gerald Tobias.
Ms Palmer argued that it was near impossible for the Crown to make out a case without the two men who are said to be in the United States.
She requested that the trial be adjourned until August to give DCP Shields enough time to locate the witnesses.
But defence lawyers in the case demanded that the trial start Monday or the case be thrown out.
During lengthy submissions, the battery of defence attorneys argued that the matter has been before the Court for more than five years and that the prosecution cannot establish a case without the witnesses.
But after hearing the submissions, Presiding Magistrate Georgiana Fraser told the prosecutors that she would not grant them a long adjournment and ordered that they return on Monday prepared to start the trial.
The two witnesses, Lloyd McLean an engineer and Gerald Tobias, a quantity surveyor, were both employed to the NHDC.
They are reported to have been the persons who signed off on NHDC/Operation Pride projects and are needed at the trial to identify signatures and documents involved in the case.Danhai Williams and the six accused were arrested and charged in October 2003 following a one-year probe into allegations of financial irregularities in the NHDC/Operation Pride projects.
They are accused of defrauding the Corporation of $451-million.
Mr. Williams is charged with 87 counts of fraud.
The other accused are financial controller of Danwills Construction Karl Kirkland; former Director of Technical Services at NHDC, Warren Sibbles and former Project Manager of the NHDC, Donovan Hill.
Eugenny Porter; Wayne Nash and Dwight Dawkins who were all Presidents of various Provident Societies are also charged in the case.
(radiojamaica.com)
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