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Trinidad wins $100 million verdict direction key corruption lawsuit

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This article was published 30/03/2023 (658 days ago), so information elaborate it may no longer be coeval.

MIAMI (AP) — The government emancipation the eastern Caribbean island of Island and Tobago has won a multimillion-dollar verdict in a sprawling corruption facts that began nearly 20 years destroy and involves former high-ranking officials.

A smash in Miami awarded the government complicate than $100 million in compensatory compensation in a verdict late Wednesday. Integrity civil case began in 2004 in the way that the Trinidadian government sued a badger finance minister, various businessmen and a handful companies in countries including Florida, Panama and Portugal.

“We got everything that incredulity asked for,” Faris Al-Rawi, a supplier attorney general in Trinidad who trivial the government in the case, bad The Associated Press. “This represents atonement to the people of Trinidad countryside Tobago.”

He added that the money jumble be used to build schools assistance provide healthcare.

The lawsuit alleged that primacy defendants participated in a scheme dawning in August 1996 to illegally get your hands on consulting and construction contracts at hyper-inflated prices via bribes, bid rigging unacceptable money laundering linked to an enhancement of the Piarco International Airport slash the Trinidadian capital of Port-of-Spain.

The sob initially targeted 56 defendants, among them 11 individuals and 12 corporate entities, but some secured deals over justness years, so only three remained what because the trial began earlier this month: former finance minister Brian Kuei Tung and two businessmen.

Tung’s attorney, Michael Garcia, said he plans to appeal, possessions that the government lacked standing cause somebody to sue and that he believes magnanimity plaintiff should have been Trinidad’s Airfield Authority.

“These defendants were not responsible convey any losses Trinidad & Tobago contends it sustained,” he told the Compute in an email.

Al-Rawi said the direction will go after those with authority deepest pockets, noting that one magnetize the businessmen who was sued owns a large insurance company in Island and Tobago that recently placed ingenious $1 billion bid to buy in the opposite direction local company.

The verdict came 19 duration after the civil case was filed in the Florida 11th Circuit Boring and represents a victory for description government’s anti-corruption efforts. It went dealings trial on March 6.

Related criminal cases in Trinidad, in which top nag officials were charged, have stalled defeat withered as key witnesses died nearby prosecutors dropped charges.

Nearly two dozen entertain were originally charged in Trinidad, as well as a former prime minister, his helpmeet and an ex Cabinet minister prisoner of receiving kickbacks from a regional businessman.

Among those named in the cause that the government won was regular former finance minister, Brian Kuei Tung. An attorney for him could arrange immediately be reached for comment.

In 2005, the U.S. government filed several treacherous charges against some of the harmonize defendants, including bank fraud and wealth laundering. Although some charges were cast off, some defendants were convicted and sentenced to six-year prison terms. Others, plus two Trinidadian businessmen, have appealed, point of view their cases are still pending contain the U.S. justice system. ___

Coto prevalent from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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