Case brought against Attorney General dismissed

The constitutional motions brought against the Attorney General by Antonio ‘Que Pasa’ Gellizeau, Kent Andrews, and Winston Robinson have been dismissed.{{more}}

High Court Judge Justice Frederick Bruce-Lyle threw out the cases on Thursday, December 10, 2009.

His ruling was handed down almost one year to the day since the trio took action against the Attorney General.

They had made an application to the court that their constitutional rights were at risk of being breached by the state.

This was due to a restraint being placed on them from transferring, selling, parting with property or assets owned or controlled by them.

The matter stemmed from a sting operation conducted by the St.Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard on a yacht called “Jo-Tobin” on April 5, 2008.

A sum of US$1,760,000 was discovered during that operation.

Andrews and Robinson were charged under the Proceeds of Crime and Money Laundering Act and were detained at Her Majesty’s Prison. Gellizeau, on the other hand, was charged on Monday, December 22, 2008. He was brought before the court to answer charges of money laundering.

While Andrews, a seaman of Trinidad and Tobago, and Robinson, a retired sailor of Bermuda, were denied bail, Gellizeau was granted bail in the sum of $100,000, with two sureties.

Justice Bruce Lyle ruled that the motions brought against the Attorney General were flawed and there was no breach of the protection of the law.(HN)