By *Jomo Thomas
“In Japan, a corrupt person kills himself. In China, they will kill him. In Europe, they will jail him. In Africa [the Caribbean], he will present himself for election.” — Professor PLO Lumumba.
The May 29 four-year jail sentence of Turks and Caicos former Premier Michael Misick, his brother Chad, and lawyer Mc Allister Hanchell after their conviction on official corruption, bribery and money laundering charges must have sent shock waves through the entire Caribbean political class. Or did it?
In a stinging rebuke to the political class, Justice Rajendra Narine told the convicted men, “Public office is not a license for personal enrichment”. Premier Misick, he said, acted contrary to the standards of honesty expected of public officials.
Justice Narine, rejecting arguments for a non-custodial sentence by defence attorneys, noted that the betrayal of public trust was so grave that the public interest requires a custodial sentence both to punish the wrongdoing and, more importantly, to deter others from engaging in similar conduct.
Would these sentences in Turks and Caicos deter corrupt practices here? We shall see.
We may be surprised by what would be discovered if investigations were conducted into public bodies, ministries, our port, customs, immigration, and the police. Many would have cases to answer. Some will be convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud and failing to report the solicitation of an advantage or reward.
But here is where the “or does it” send shock waves comes in. Would politicians in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) tremble because of Premier Missick’s conviction and sentence? Historical memory reveals neither an arrest nor a conviction of any politician or prominent government official in the entire CARICOM. However, keen observers know that corruption and official wrongdoing are pervasive.
Here’s an instant to ponder!
Sandals, the hotel chain glorified by Ralph Gonsalves and his clansmen, featured heavily in the trial and sentencing of Premier Misick. Investigators and prosecutors discovered that Sandals executives paid upwards of a million US dollars to Premier Misick and his cronies for access to public lands, among other favours.
Sandals has built a top-rate facility at Buccament and last year purchased at least 51 acres of prime beachfront land at Mt Wynne, with plans to build a 500-room Sandals Beaches resort that caters to families. The improper behaviour of the Sandals executives in Turks and Caicos may be the tip of the iceberg.
Is it unwise to muse that similar illegal practices have occurred here, especially related to foreign direct investment or government-financed mega projects? We think not. While not a smoking gun, Sandals’ implication in the Missick corruption conviction should, at a minimum, raise eyebrows.
Beyond, a casual stroll through Kingstown will reveal that “the dance can’t pay for the light” as it’s highly unlikely that store owners pay rent, salaries, and utilities based on sales. Is it that those concerned with crime fighting, financial investigation and democratic good governance look the other way or are complicit in wrongdoing? Is it that, for public relations purposes, our crime-fighting and financial intelligence apparatus arrests, charges, and convicts only low-level individuals rather than doing the heavy lifting that would take us to the head of the crime chain?
Across the CARICOM region, there have been credible claims and allegations against politicians and other high-ranking officials, but none have resulted in trials and/or convictions. In 2024, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness avoided prosecution over what the Integrity Commission’s Director of Investigation called “false statements” in his asset declarations. However, the question of illicit enrichment remains.
Dr. Keith Mitchell, the former Grenadian prime minister, allegedly received a briefcase containing US$500,000 as a bribe from convicted fraudster Eric Resteiner. Mitchell famously boasted is “mi damn money”. No legal repercussion.
Now look at the stark contrast.
Two days before the Misick brothers were sentenced, a jury in the Cayman Islands convicted senior immigration officials of fraud, breach of trust and bribery. These former officials await sentencing.
As early as 2014, McKeeva Bush, the Cayman Islands’ former Premier, was found not guilty of 11 criminal charges levelled against him. The charges ranged from misconduct in a public office, contrary to the Common Law, and breach of trust by a Member of the Legislative Assembly, under the Anti-Corruption Law. He was accused of using a government-issued credit card to gamble in the Bahamas. The legal system worked.
In 2024, former BVI Premier Andrew Fahie was convicted of cocaine trafficking and money laundering. A judge in Florida sentenced Fahie to 11 years and 3 months. He appealed his conviction.
See the pattern! The colonial authorities in Turks and Caicos, Cayman, and BVI have moved aggressively to address issues of government corruption. We in independent Caribbean countries have turned a blind eye. There is no way patriotic Vincentians should settle for the fact that the colonial administrators are outdoing us in the fight to root out corrupt practices.
PM Friday’s administration owes it to Vincentians to aggressively and painstakingly investigate, order forensic audits, and charge, try, and convict former politicians and senior government officials guilty of violating the public trust and enriching themselves.
Our romance with complicity in criminality must end if our Caribbean is to develop democratic best practices. Millions of dollars that would be better spent solving many of the problems confronting our countries and peoples are stolen each year.
*Jomo Sanga Thomas is a lawyer, journalist, social commentator and a former Speaker of the House of Assembly in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
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