NORTH AMERICAN COMPLIANCE OFFICERS: DO ANY OF THESE FOREIGN LAWYERS HAVE ACCOUNTS AT YOUR BANK ?

Coat of Arms of Bridgetown

Our investigation into official corruption in Barbados has confirmed that there have been many cases where Bajans, who have entrusted the proceeds of real estate sales to local attorneys to hold in trust, never receive their money after the transactions have closed. The victims have been unable to recover their funds, due to rampant corruption, in the courts and law enforcement agencies. It is a potential compliance problem for a specific reason.

Obviously, a number of the lawyers who have taken their clients' cash most certainly sent, or transported, the proceeds of their crimes abroad, with the United States and Canada being the most likely jurisdictions where they would feel their money is secure. Therefore, it is humbly suggested that compliance officers at North American banks now check their customer lists, to ascertain whether they have any significant accounts which might belong to Barbados attorneys.

The names below, not a comprehensive list of all Barbados lawyers, but which does show many of the most prominent attorneys licensed there, may assist you in checking your accounts. We are not accusing any of these individuals of misconduct, but given the large number of attorneys alleged to have brazenly stolen from their clients in Barbados in recent years, ALL Barbados lawyers should be considered high-risk who have opened personal bank accounts in North America. Are you banking any of  them ? What is the Source of Funds in those accounts ?

Please note that lawyers may not have disclosed their profession at account opening, or, like the lawyer for Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet did in the US, claimed that their large balance was due to inherited wealth, or a non-legal business they owned abroad. In any event, having once been a compliance officer myself, I deem it important that those who are responsible to insure that their institutions are not used for money laundering be aware of the high-risk nature of maintaining large accounts for foreign nationals who happen to be attorneys in Barbados, where there are few, if any, restrictions upon criminal acs that would bring swift disbarment anywhere else in the English-speaking world.

With those caveats mind, here is my list; I am unable to find a comprehensive list online, so you may wish to broaden your account search to all Barbados clients over a certain amount that might be normal for those who visit as tourists from time to time, and may maintain a vacation residence.

ROSALIND SMITH MILLAR, Q.C. LAURA HARVEY-READ COREY GREENIDGE HON. RAQUEL GILKES RICKEDA TAYLOR BARRY GALE Q.C ANDREW THORNHILL Q.C. C. ANTHONY AUDAIN Q.C. FIONA HINDS Q.C. KAYE WILLIAMS NAILAH ROBINSON KRISTIN TURTON LISA TOPPIN- CORBIN DARIO WELCH TIFFANY WILLOUGHBY KEVIN WEBSTER TYRA TROTMAN LIESEL WEEKES