Passport forgery case adjourned again

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By Elesha George

[email protected]

The long-running passport forgery case against suspended Superintendent of Police Ray John and former passport office employee Shakeema Charles has been adjourned once again. A decision on a no-case submission brought forward by the defence lawyers is now expected on January 22.

The latest adjournment occurred on Monday, when Magistrate Conliffe Clarke was absent due to illness. Acting Chief Magistrate Dexter Wason stepped in but deferred the no-case submission until Wednesday.

John and Charles are accused of conspiring with Vincentian resident Lonzel Jones and others to forge bio pages for Antigua and Barbuda passports using stolen Multi-Layered Infilling Sheets (MLIS).

The case was thrown out of the High Court in January 2024 after defence attorneys Hugh Marshall Jr and Michael Archibald challenged the jurisdiction of the charges. They argued that the trial should have been heard in front of a jury and other charges were small matters that should have been tried in the Magistrates Court. As a result, the charges were dismissed but the Director of Public Prosecution sought a retrial.

In the current proceedings at the Magistrates Court, John and Charles once again face charges, including two counts each of conspiracy to forge passport bio pages using unauthorized MLIS. John also faces two charges of receiving property linked to the alleged forgery scheme.

Their attorneys have filed a no-case submission, arguing that reopening the case is an abuse of process. They contend that the prosecution should have appealed Justice Tunde Bakre’s decision to dismiss it instead of seeking a retrial.

The court’s ruling regarding the no-case submission will determine whether the case proceeds or is dismissed. A final decision on whether the case will move forward to the High Court or be dismissed entirely will also be made.

The duo remains on bail.

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