JULY MONEY LAUNDERING TRIAL OF FORMER BVI PREMIER ANDREW FAHIE RESET FOR JANUARY

The money laundering, drug trafficking and racketeering trial of former British Virgin Islands premier ANDREW FAHIE, which was scheduled for July 17, has been moved to January 8, 2024, at the request of the defendant's counsel, who cited several Discovery reasons why additional preparation was needed. She continues to seek the identity of a Confidential Informant in the case, and wishes to file, and have heard, additional pretrial motions.

Fahie's two co-defendants, Oleanvine Maynard, the former head of the BVI Ports Authority, and her son Kadeem, have already pleaded guilty, and face a sentencing date of August 21. All of the charges against them but one have been dismissed in a plea Agreement, and they have promised to cooperate in the continued case against Fahie, which was already strong, as it includes video and audio surveillance recordings. The two co-defendants will most likely be seeking a Rule 35 Sentence Reduction after testifying against Fahie in January. Whether they will receive a minimum mandatory sentence next month is not known.

Given previous rumours that he planned early on to cooperate, and name other corrupt officials from both East Caribbean independent states and British Overseas Possessions in the region, this additional delay in conducting the trial is puzzling. Fahie risks an extremely long sentence on all counts should he go to trial and be convicted on evidence that appears to be overwhelming, taking only what has been publicly disclosed in the case. We shall continue to report on all developments as they occur.