Miami Decide Kathleen Williams has determined to reschedule the trial of former Premier of the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Andrew Fahie, to January 29.
The high-profile case, which has garnered important consideration, revolves round prices of drug smuggling, cash laundering, and racketeering.
Trial delayed once more
The trial was as a consequence of have began on Monday after being pushed again by two weeks on January 8.
Nonetheless, Justice Kathleen Williams introduced in a paperless movement that the been moved again by an extra week.
Reviews are that the decide was anticipated to listen to arguments from each side about introducing overseas legislation jury directions and skilled witnesses into the trial, the difficulty of rumour testimony, a attainable entrapment defence, and different issues that just lately arose.
Protection challenges “eleventh-hour” motions
Fahie’s lawyer, Theresa Van Vliet, made a plea to the court docket to dismiss what she characterised because the prosecution’s “eleventh-hour” motions.
Van Vliet argued that these motions filed a mere three weeks previous to the trial’s graduation, raised a number of pivotal points for the primary time.
Background to the fees
The fees towards Fahie stem from his arrest in April 2022.
Authorities apprehended him together with former BVI Ports Director Oleanvine Maynard, alleging their involvement in a conspiracy.
It’s alleged that Fahie, in collusion with Maynard and her son, Kadeem Maynard, agreed to facilitate the passage of serious portions of cocaine by the ports of the British Abroad Territory.
Undercover operation unveiled
In line with U.S. prosecutors, this scheme was a part of a multi-million greenback deal allegedly struck by the previous premier with an undercover informant from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), who posed as a drug trafficker on the time.
Kadeem Maynard has just lately been sentenced to 57 months in jail after getting into a plea deal associated to his function within the operation.
In the meantime, his mom, Oleanvine Maynard, who has additionally pleaded responsible and accepted a plea deal, is anticipated to function the prosecution’s main witness.
Andrew Fahie faces the opportunity of life imprisonment if convicted on the fees at the moment introduced towards him.
As a situation of his one-million-dollar bail, he has been confined to his daughters’ residence in Miami.
