By Latrishka Thomas
After six years under the thumb of the justice system, former Executive Secretary of the Board of Education (BoE) D Gisele Isaac has been freed of all corruption charges brought against her by the government.
Yesterday, Justice Stanley John granted a permanent stay of proceedings as advised by defence lawyer Dane Hamilton QC, essentially halting any further legal process in a trial against Isaac.
Isaac told Observer that she was “just quietly and intensely happy and grateful” that justice had been served.
“I’m feeling so happy. I don’t really have the words yet to express how happy I am today that my six-year ordeal has come to an end. Yes, this began on July 18 2014, and it’s taken me all this time, all this time to get justice,” she said.
She also expressed gratitude to those who stood by her side to include her lawyers, Hamilton and Harold Lovell, supporters, family and friends.
Hamilton explained that he applied for a stay based on two essential requirements which were stifled during Isaac’s investigation. That is, to guarantee an accused person a fair trial and for the court to uphold the standards, fairness and integrity of the criminal justice system.
He explained that he contended that the case ought to be dismissed because, “following Gisele Isaac’s acquittal on the first indictment, statements were made by the Prime Minister, the Honourable Gaston Browne on radio, circulated throughout the country and on the internet that it was two of his ministers who carried out this special investigation on D Gisele Isaac and he was never in favour of it”.
The QC further explained that Browne’s comments, along with media statements, amounted to an abuse of process against his client.
“He also mentioned the UPP party and said that everyone knows that the UPP party has plundered this country … and it is common knowledge that D Gisele Isaac is the chairwoman of the UPP party.
“So, I took the view that, given what he said about the investigation, that the jury would have heard it, and it was well open to the suggestion. Well, if that is a jab, a prospective jury heard it, it would be rebound to our favour because they would say ‘well, hey, politicians did interfere with the investigatory process’,” Hamilton shared.
In October the first of the three indictments was thrown out when the court ruled Isaac had no case to answer.
The trial of that matter, which had been filed against Isaac by the government about five years ago, opened in the High Court on October 9, 2019.
She was said to have illegally obtained $9,000 for the benefit of Algernon “Serpent” Watts and to have dishonestly applied $9,000 and fraudulently applied $13,983.97, for the benefit of Watts, between February 2013 and March 2014.
Now all three indictments against her have been dismissed.