The SIPT Judgement – Turks and Caicos Weekly News

This week, two defendants involved in the years-long SIPT trial were found guilty of bribery and money laundering charges. They are set to be sentenced early next month.

They face a lengthy prison sentence, a hefty fine, or both.

Two others were found not guilty and have been acquitted.

What are your thoughts?

Every rope has an end

This trial went on and on and it could have gone either way. It however should be seen as a warning for others who would abuse the offices that they hold.

Politicians work for the people, their primary focus is to enhance the lives of the people, not themselves.

Crime does not pay

Don't do the crime if youre likely to be worried about the time.

Let's hope that despite the ludicrous time this is taking the outcome is a deterrent to future corruption.

Expensive

This trial has been going on for almost eight years; having started in December of 2015, what has that cost done to this country?

We cannot only look at those eight years in terms of the cost because the SIPT team was put together in March of 2010 so we have been paying for this from 2010, over 13 years so far and the process is not finished yet either. We have the appeal process to go through for the two defendants who were found guilty in this trial and an entire trial and appeal process for the other three defendants whose trial has not yet started.

We have no real idea of the cost of the trial today because there has not been full and open disclosure. There has been some disclosure but after a public outcry over the cost of the trial in the early years and in one instance a government refusal to continue to fund it, funds have come from other parts of the budget and it is not therefore possible to know the true cost of the trial to date. If we are paying for it we deserve to know what it is costing us and what it has cost us! You do not buy something or pay for something unless you know the cost. We need to know the true and full cost not just the sums paid to the SIPT attorneys, but also the sums paid to outfit the court for this trial the legal aid for the defendants attorneys, and the costs for our legal system to pay for this trial. Only by knowing the cost can we know what kind of value we are getting for our money. I have to say it does not appear that we are getting any value for money when you look at the facts, this part of the trial started with four defendants with five counts and ended up with two findings of guilt, which is not a win in my books, especially when the one count that Hall was found guilty on relates to a guilty plea by Padgett!

Despite the financial cost to these Islands, I remain proud of us as a people when I look back at the early Helen Garlic days of SIPT and the concerns raised with the British government over the ability to pay for the trial and their refusal to assist with the cost. I am proud to say that the cost has been met and it has not crippled our economy, confirming we are a strong and resilient people but enough is enough! We are depriving a generation of Turks & Caicos Islanders, many of whom were born after the Commission of Inquiry that started this and will have finished high school by the time these trials are over with funding that could be put to better use for their future benefit, again ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

I talk about the financial cost of the trial because that can be quantified what cannot be quantified is the cost to the individuals, those found not guilty so far and those who may yet succeed on appeal, their personal losses can never be quantified.

Weak internal governance structures

These convictions cannot come at a worse time for the Turks and Caicos Islands. Not a day of "rejoicing! This is a time when the TCI needs to position itself globally and expand its share of global tourism and financial services. The verdicts expose how TCI is suffering from weak internal governance structures within the government and political parties. It will not be fair or right to politicise these issues but matters of policy and related issues do arise. In a country with a ministerial government since 1976, laws like the Bribery Ordinance, are only 10 years old or so and came after the allegations were made against former ministers, "after the fact". It also begs the question of whether the governing party and opposition are prepared to call MPS, Ministers, and their representatives to account. If done so in the past: none of this would have happened. The reason being, if parties became their own Commissions of Enquiry, functioned like their own SIPT, and disciplined their members when allegations of corruption and crime arose, there would not have been any suspension of the constitution or these ten-year SIPT trials. This is a sore weakness of the TCI political system. The party system needs to mature to a point where sufficient internal governance structures can be imposed from within. Persons who push reforms of that nature are really unpopular and easily removed. There is a routine ignoring of party constitutions and rules so the "majority instead of "whats right tends to prevail.

These SIPT trials have set the islands back a good 50 years. The UK has imposed its own governance structures so that owing to deliberate misinterpretation of the constitution and the finance management laws, ministers must beg the governor on how to spend their own money. This cannot lead to good government and a proper policy regime. It is not even worth discussing the convictions and acquittals at this stage because the TCI people have lost so much.

Opportunities lost

It has been said that the crimes alleged against those former ministers were "victimless so maybe the convictions are "moot". The real victims were the TCI people. Reportedly over $100m was spent over a ten-year period to reach two convictions. What about the opportunities lost? Those monies could have been spent on upgrading the schools of the TCI, ensuring that everyone who graduated obtained a proper scholarship to a university of their choice, real small business development support and the expansion of local industry. So many chances are lost because between 2003 and today millions of dollars were handed over to outsiders instead of the TCI people. The TCI now has a retarded constitutional order, the land is beyond the reach of natives and it is a real paradise lost. Emerging in the light of all of this is weaponisation of the "Grace Bay Mafia which stands in the way of the economic empowerment of TCIslanders. The investors/developers were allowed to plead their way against these charges and allegations and left standing to hold the bill were former ministers and the TCI people.

Not over

All the SIPT has to show after many years of trial and wasted resources are two convictions. To hazard a guess, most TCIslanders would not like to see one of their own sentenced in a way like this, facing time in the UK or elsewhere. One cannot figure out what they will do, whether the SIPT will insist on fines, return of assets, or custodial sentences. A lot could happen behind the scenes until sentencing day comes around. Allegations of money laundering are however pretty serious.

Prevent a recurrence

There are two convictions and two acquittals after over ten years and reportedly over $100m spent. It is too late for a blame game. Turks & Caicos Islanders were well aware of the kind of government they were getting in 2003 and owing to money, bribes and largesse flowing on the street. All of that "free money people didnt ask questions on where all of "this free campaign money came from? Free money "isn't free". Ministers were bought and the country sold, the result, asset recovery efforts and endless SIPT trials. The lesson learned is that investors do not give money to "brilliant politicians" just because they "like them. In fact, they will be looking for the most dim-witted, easily controlled and gullible politician to share money with because that investor or developers eyes are focused on the people's land, the people's money, tax breaks and deals under the table. This is what happened and why politicians are so "generous" at election time. All of that free money in 2003 and 2007. The result was seen in the transfer of 1000s of acres of Crown Land and the loss of ministerial control over Crown Land. Lost with it is the control of TCIs constitution and "ministerial initiative in making decisions for the people. Will the wheel of politics in the TCI change for the better? Will parties wake up to realise that "we need to govern ourselves, call the ministers and premier into account"? Letting them "Do what they want is not good for the future and democracy.

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The SIPT Judgement - Turks and Caicos Weekly News