Businessman Bertille “Silky” Da Silva, 89, has denied that he was in an intimate relationship with his former employee, Nigerian-Vincentian Eunice Dowers, 28, who is charged with using his credit card without permission, fraud and money laundering.
Da Silva, however, admitted in court, on Wednesday, that he had taken her for Sunday drives, that she visited and cooked at his home multiple times, and that he had helped her secure an apartment, bought her a fridge and helped her to meet financial commitments from time to time.
The information was revealed at the Serious Offences Court at the beginning of the three days that Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne set aside for the trial of the woman, who has been slapped with 52 charges.
Defence counsel Grant Connell attempted to use his cross-examination to paint Dowers and Da Silva as former lovers.
However, Da Silva maintained that this was not the case and at times derided Dowers as a “criminal” and not his type of woman.
Dowers was employed at Da Silva’s company, Star Garage, from April 2018 to February 2019, when she was fired after an altercation with her co-worker, Marlon Stephenson.
Da Silva was the first witness that the Crown, represented by Crown Counsel Rose-Ann Richardson and Karim Nelson called.
Richards led the evidence during the businessman’s testimony.
As he began his cross examination of Da Silva some two hours into the hearing, Connell asked Da Silva if he knows Dowers.
Da Silva responded in the affirmative, saying he had been “seeing her every day”.
The lawyer pointed out that in the Vincentian context, seeing someone means that one is a relationship with that person, and asked the businessman if that is what he meant.
Da Silva, however, said that he meant that if someone asked him to identify Dowers, he would be able to point her out.
He said he first met Dowers when she came to Star Garage seeking employment.
‘fast-tracked interview’
The businessman told the court that some persons would write a job application to the company while others would come in person.
He said the procedure is that when someone comes in person, the person is referred to his nephew, Joshua Da Silva, manager of Star Garage, or to Stephenson for an interview.
He said that Dowers came in person seeking employment but he cannot remember the date.
Connell suggested that the date was April 4, 2018, adding that Da Silva further told his nephew to bring back Dowers to his (Bertille) office after the interview.
The lawyer further suggested that Dowers was brought back to Da Silva’s office, as per his instruction, which Da Silva again said he could not recall.
“And you said, ‘Don’t bother with the interview. You got the job’,” Connell further suggested, to which Da Silva said he never did.
“You then started asking her personal questions. Is she is bored at home and if you can come and take her for drives on Sundays,” the lawyer said.
“No!” Da Silva responded.
The lawyer put it to Da Silva that the Sunday after the “fast-tracked interview”, the businessman picked up Dowers at her home and took her to the mineral spring in Belair.
“That is true,” Da Silva said, adding that he had gone there to collect some mineral water to take home.
“Did you introduce Miss Dowers to the water? Did you give her some? Did you give her some of your water? She went home with you?” Connell said.
‘so many nice girls’
The businessman, who said he had been married, told the court that he took Dowers to his home because she asked where he lived.
“So if I ask you where you’re living, would you take me there?” the lawyer asked.
“Not you! What I taking you there for?” Da Silva retorted.
“At that point, you saw a potential relationship with that lady,” Connell said.
But Da Silva said he has “so many nice girls. I go put myself with she?”
Da Silva said he couldn’t recall what he and Dowers did at his house.
‘There is nothing special. I take people there all the time,” he said.
The businessman further said that he couldn’t recall the name of the last female employee that he took to his house before Dowers.
“Several of them,” Da Silva said, at which point Nelson rose and told the court he was struggling to see the relevance of Connell’s questions.
Da Silva said that after that visit he dropped Dowers at her home in Brighton.
“Mr. Da Silva, every Sunday after that, you carried her to your home,” Connell said.
“Several times,” Da Silva responded but denied demanding that Dowers come to his house every single day.
He also said he couldn’t recall how many times a week Dowers came to his house.
Da Silva said it was not true, as the lawyer suggested, that he had complained to Dowers that she was getting too fat.
Connell further told Da Silva that a few days after Dowers began working at Star Garage, she became his personal secretary.
Da Silva said: “I have nothing personal; Star Garage.”
He also denied asking Dowers to join a gym at Villa or picking her up on Saturdays and carrying her to the gym, where he also works out.
Da Silva told the court he goes to the gym on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
He further denied that the receptionist at the gym has told Dowers, in his presence, that Dowers would not lose weight quickly at the gym and suggested that she join the Be Fit movement.
Da Silva said that was not the case, adding that the only time he knew about Be Fit was when Dowers said that she needed EC$60 to reinstate something and he gave it to her.
‘I won’t have a girlfriend like she’
Da Silva said that Dowers cooked at his house but not for him.
“She used to cook for herself and take it where she’s living,” he said.
He also denied that Dowers used to massage him or that they took showers together.
“Never! Never! Never happen!” Da Silva said.
Regarding his credit card, Da Silva said he had a credit card and that it is in his name.
He said he had had additional card holders before from CIBC First Caribbean International Bank (FCIB), which issued the credit card.
Da Silva admitted that he took Dowers to Spring Garden Estate in the company of Allan Smith, his wife, and brother, adding that Dowers did not go there as the company secretary, or his girlfriend, but as Mrs. Dowers.
“No. She is not my girlfriend. She is my friend. Never girlfriend,” Da Silva said, adding, “I won’t have a girlfriend like she.”
He also denied going to a Be Fit party, “Wet Pool”, with Dowers, or giving her money to go or buying her an outfit to attend.
The lawyer suggested to Da Silva that because of the relationship he developed with Dowers he had offered to buy her things.
“Of course, I bought things for her,” Da Silva said.
He told the court that when Dowers was evicted she always wanted something and Adam Brothers was selling used fridges and he bought one for her.
Da Silva also denied providing for Dowers a house owned by Leona Daniel for which he was an agent.
He said Dowers was living at Ribishi and was complaining about the bad roads and Daniel is his good friend and was going back to England.
He said he asked Daniel to allow Dowers to stay at the house, but the owner asked for EC$1,200 per month in rent.
Da Silva further told the court he told Daniel that unoccupied houses are targets for burglaries and whether she would accept the EC$400 a month that Dowers was paying to her then landlord.
Connell, however, suggested that it was after one of Da Silva’s Sunday drives to Belair with Dowers that he suggested the road to Dowers’ home was mashing up his car and he offered to provide a house for her.
Da Silva, however, said that was not the case and further denied that he used to pay Dowers’ rent.
“She used to pay the $400 a month. When she had the credit card, she came and paid for two months and she had not paid a cent since.”
Da Silva said he did not inspect Daniel’s house and denied that Dowers had told him that there was no fridge there, hence his buying her one.
He further denied giving Dowers permission to use his credit card to buy an exercise machine.
“I will never do that. Even at this stage of my life, I would never do that.”
He also said that he did not take Dowers to CK Greaves to shop, then cook for him and take the balance to her home.
“She always hungry. One time, she bought 4lbs of beef, cook and eat it. She does eat like cattle,” Da Silva said of Dowers.
Before the lunch break, Connell had complained about a nasal congestion but when Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne asked him if he wanted an adjournment, he said no.
However, after the lunch break, Nelson told the court that Connell’s condition appeared to have deteriorated and had asked for an adjournment.
The hearing was suspended until Thursday morning.
Look Mr DaSilva is a car dealer, it’s well known that car dealers never tell lies and you can trust them.
Ms Dowers is a Nigerian, Nigerians are not know to tell lies, nor are they known to commit fraud.
Seeing as both these people are from the Angel class and are in every way Angelic, who do we believe?
Just to convince myself I was right I put these two things into my search engine, guess what?
Try it
car dealers do not tell lies
Nigerians do not lie or commit fraud
I am stunned, absolutely stunned. How amazing the internet is.
Did you try it?
well
Even if dasilva had a relation with her, she still had no right accessing his bank cards[as alleged]. They are not her possessions and is a fraud. Nigerians are too thief and crafty. [If guilty,] They should jail her.
The old adage hold , “something is in the mortar besides the pestle. “
Grant Connell always has some sort of tricks […] up his sleeve. It is sad that such theatrics are allowed in the courtroom. The case should be presented and decided on its merits. This man is 89 years old and trying to paint him as a sex-driven dummy after 89 years of experience with lots of people is going too far. No one would give a non-related person they did not know for very long total access to thier bank account. So much of what Connell wants the court to believe as true is just supposition. He should be dis-barred for such practice, completely concocting relationships, and incidents out of thin-air just because the court was not present with these people and it COULD be true does not mean that it is.
Silky Mr.Das Silva is a person I know for over 50 yrs. It is true that he is kind to girls. He use to be a picky guy when it comes to women. Unless something is wrong with him I cannot understand why he is spending so much time with that lady especially a Nigerian. I was a police in Antigua and I spent most of my time as a prosecutor. Most of the cases that involve Africans were Nigerian,very crafty people. Look out for year drops .They love to play the victim. since the matter is already before the Court it may as well take it’s course. Embarrassing for Mr Da Silva . As my Grand Mother Beauty Raymond use to say One of these day you will loose more than what you take from me.May God Bless.
What’s wrong with this man at his age? Strups man . At yr age you should be giving almighty creator thanks for life at yr age in stead get caught up into such mess. The lady bought 4lbs of beef cooked and eat all of it ‘, she ate like a cow”. Don’t you know Sir Nigerians are big eater ? They ate a lot also known for frauds . Wake up and smell the coffee. Pity she didn’t suck every blood out of your system send you on life support.
86 and counting, bwoy, that must have been tempting.
She kept you young bro.
If that isn’t a relationship, I don’t know what is…next someone is going to say that when a wide is pregnant and not having sex with her husband during this time, then they are no longer husband and wife!!
If this isn’t a relationship than it sounds like sexual harassment in the workplace..
At 89 what relationship can Silky have with that giant. That is just a ploy. If she never got caught you would have hear nothing about a relationship. Typical Nigerian, always scammers a fraudsters. That’s the trademark of a Nigerian no matter how nice they appear
Those old guys just like younger women company …sometimes its not a relationship or sex they looking for rather companionship …so they will buy you stuff take you out ….
This old fart don’t understand that he was trying to build a relationship with a 28 year old woman would have sure get his old fogey in trouble. I know dilky and his brothers since I was in my teens and they still kicking and looking for young girls. That girl should have taken him for more than what she is accused of. Good f ou r you silky.. you look old and over the barrel.
Mr Da Silva, if this woman is not your girlfriend, then are we to assume you were just fattening cow fuh butcher? LOL
Still happening. This filthy old man has not changed. 89 years old with one foot in the grave and the other he’s unable to stand on but still looking at twenty something year old women. No respect for himself nor his family, a total disgrace. I remembered in the 70’s no woman would get a job at Star Garage unless she was willing to give up yourself in exchange for the job. Apparently nothing has changed over the years except Mr. Da Silva’s age. Shame on you talking about that young woman in that manner. “I will never have a girlfriend like that?”. Every woman that would be attracted to you is already dead. Get over it. It is obvious you are not thinking with you head that has a half-dead brain but with your little head that have no brain at all. You are nothing but an IDIOT.
Those old men are not to be taken lightly. It is possible that he had a thing with the young lady.but it is possible that she could have done it too.
It is easy to prove someone wrong when they have long standing dirty habits.
An old man like him should leave young women alone.