BARBADOS ATTORNEY FOUND GUILTY OF MONEY LAUNDERING AND THEFT; WHAT ABOUT THE DOZENS OF OTHERS NEVER CHARGED ?

The conviction, this week, of Barbados attorney ERNEST WINSTON JACKMAN, for money laundering and theft of client funds,  is but one tiny glimpse of justice in a country where lawyers routinely steal from their clients with impunity. Dozens of victims have had money that is rightfully theirs taken by their attorneys, representing recovery for damages, stolen estate assets, and other settlement funds illegally appropriated by the very counsel who are sworn to protect their clients' wealth.

In the aftermath of the conviction, victims are clamouring justice in their own cases, including the heartbreaking wheelchair-bound Stephen Archer matter,  the allegations against IAN BISHOP, and many, many others. Comments not usually aired publicly, due to fears from the victims that there may be threats of harm made against them, are showing up today, which is a positive development in the growing anti-corruption sentiment now surfacing in Barbados.

The Jackman case still must go to sentencing; there is a well-founded belief that the sentence will be lenient, due to the advanced age of the defendant. of course, the fact that seventeen years have elapsed since Jackman stole the six-figure sum from his client, should be an aggravating factor. His age should not used to calculate the sentence.

We call upon Barbados' Attorney General to personally review ALL the pending claims against local attorneys for theft of funds, loss of real estate, and theft of probate properties, and file the cases, so that justice can be had, finally, in a country where lawyers have free reign over their clients' money and property. All the victims of attorney misconduct in Barbados should now each personally petition the Attorney General to consider their cases forthwith. It's time for him to earn the handsome salary he draws from the taxpayers.