One of the victims in the massive Barbados land fraud scandal that has caused Bajans to distrust their own legal profession has named Alair P. Shepherd QC as one of the attorneys whom they allege was a participant in the theft of real estate belonging to their family. We are aware of which specific property was involved, but are withholding that information as it is part of an ongoing investigation.
Whilst this is only an accusation, and must be proven in a court of law, that reckoning will be, we understand, filed in a court of law outside of Barbados, due to the systemic corruption that has infected the local court system, as well as all aspects of official and government life there. The personal involvement of officials at the highest level of government has rendered the court system a cruel joke, being played upon citizens who possess valuable land, handed down through their families, and which Barbados' power elite covet, either for resale to foreign companies intent on tourism development, or to transfer to a member of their criminal conspiracy.
It is not known just how many local Barbados attorneys have been involved in this dark scandal, but we are aware of several others, and victims are contacting us on a daily basis, to point a finger at additional legal professionals whom they allege stole from them. We intend to investigate all such claims.
Others are contacting us with lesser profesional complaints, including Bajan attorneys who have accepted cases, and received legal fees paid to them, but have done absolutely nothing to advocate on behalf of the clients who have paid them. Attorneys must zealously represent their clients' interests, and cannot neglect a legal matter entrusted to them. Again and again, the utter failure of the Barbados Bar Association to discipline its members comes up in discussions with the victims. We conclude that it is a large part of the problem in Barbados with lawyer misconduct and lawyer crime; Something needs to change.
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