OWNERS OF REAL ESTATE STOLEN DUE TO CORRUPTION IN BARBADOS HAVE A SOLUTION: OBTAIN AMERICAN INDICTMENTS FOR MONEY LAUNDERING, AND SEIZE ASSETS LOCATED ABROAD, ESPECIALLY IN NORTH AMERICA

The systemic corruption that has poisoned Barbados, and resulted in the loss of their ancient real estate holdings by many of its citizens, has made justice, and recovery of their rightful lands, impossible for the victims. Current and former governmental leaders, many of whom have engaged in land fraud and grand larceny, hold all the cards; they frankly control the courts and the law enforcement agencies. You cannot receive relief in Barbados; there is no justice to be had there. This may sound cynical, but it is the truth.

To make matters worse, if victims, through legal action, seek redress, they encounter death threats, a campaign of harassment and insults on social media, and humiliation and targeting for asserting their lawful rights. No wonder many have lost faith in their country, and given up fighting a corrupt system; some have become expats, fearing to ever return to their beloved nation, where they were born.

The solution, in our humble opinion, lies abroad. Many of the corrupt officials and their associates have taken their ill-gotten gains, made from sales of real estate they have stolen, or fraudulently acquired, and secreted or invested them overseas, to keep them from being seized by victims, through court orders at a possible future date, or forfeited for any purpose by a future Government of Barbados. These thieves also wish to have a place to flee to, when they have either completed their service, retired, or simply relocated far from the jurisdiction of courts in Barbados, and wish to keep the Proceeds of Crime.

The money laundering laws of the United States may provide a solution to those Bajans who choose to avail themselves of the fact that American courts have long applied what is known as extraterritorial jurisdiction to foreign nationals who move their criminal assets into the US, even if only a portion of a financial transaction occurs in America. Many corrupt leaders, or their frontmen or family members, invest their criminal assets in the US, or open bank accounts here, or transfer funds through the United States, in US dollars, en route to other destinations. You may have a chance at real justice after all.

 The foreign official, holding money he or she gained through corruption, may not have ever entered the United States, but an American court can charge him with money laundering, which is a 20-year felony, and seize assets, especially bank accounts and real estate, which the Barbados victims could petition for. Assets owned as the result of corruption can be forfeited, using American courts which, unlike those in Barbados, do not favor the criminal elite, nor do they accept bribes and kickbacks to fix cases. There is the best chance the victims have to get justice. You may also have a chance at recovery in a civil suit filed in North America.

If it is your family's real estate that you wish, in some cases, where the criminals who have stolen it still control legal title, as part of their plea agreement with the US Department of Justice, the conveyance back of your land may be possible; each case is different, but if you don't fight for justice abroad, you lose any chance of obtaining it at home.

We will be providing additional details in subsequent articles; it is suggested that you retain the services of a competent professional, outside of Barbados, due to the powerful influence of the corrupt government officials and their associates, preferably in the United States, although in some cases Canada may be a better fit. If the criminal who defrauded your family lies in an American jail, facing twenty years in prison, you will be in a better position to recover your family's rightful real estate holdings, than you do now.

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