VOLUME 9 ISSUE 21

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JUNE 1ST - JUNE 8TH, 2013

Website: www.suntci.com

VOLUME 9 - No. 21

Email: sun@suntci.com

Tel: 649-946-8542

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Fax: 649-941-3281

www. twitter.com/suntci

RICHARD PADGETT PLEADS GUILTY VIVIAN TYSON

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ichard Padgett, former Third Turtle Club Developer pleaded guilty to two corruption charges on Friday May 31, 2013. The 60-year-old British multi-millionaire pleaded guilty to one count of bribery of public officials and conspiracy to pervert the course of public justice, when he appeared in the Turks and Caicos Islands Supreme Court before Mr. Justice Paul Harrison, via video link from London, England. Padgett, whose London attorney Collinwood Thompson QC said was ailing and could not travel to the TCI to face the charges against him, has been accused of bribing two former government ministers between 2003 and 2009. He was also accused of conspiring to pervert the course of justice by presenting false or forged document to the Commission of Inquiry, which was set up to in 2009, to probe reported government misdeeds. The bribery charge parts of which were redacted so as not to prejudice future matters read in part: “Between first day of August 2003 and 31st of August 2009, together with others (Padgett) gave inducements by unlawful corrupt payments or other rewards (in the form of cash, credit, entertainment and other ad-

Richard Padgett pleaded guilty to two counts of corruption. BY

MURDER CHARGES AGAINST RODERICK ADAMS DROPPED

ACTING DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF POLICE RODNEY ADAMS PLACED ON LEAVE

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IMMIGRATION BOARD GETTING TOUGH WITH WORK PERMITS

PREMIER EWING WELCOMES CRITICISM OF PNP GOVERNMENT

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vantages to (government officials) while they were serving as Minister of the Crown in the Government, so that the said (former ministers) would act in a way that was contrary to the ordinary rules of honesty and integrity expected of Ministers of the Crown, so as to benefit the said Padgett and others in their commercial interest in the Turks and Caicos Islands.” The charges of conspiracy to pervert the course of public justice, which was also redacted in part, read: “Between the 1st day of January 2008 and the 31st of August 2009 (Padgett) conspired together with other persons to pervert the course of public justice in that knowing that a judicial public inquiry was announced into the possible corruption or other serious dishonesty in relation to past and present elected members of the legislature of the Turks and Caicos Islands. In recent years they agreed on a course of conduct that would have led to the presentation to the said Commission of Inquiry of false or forged documents designed to mislead that said Commission of Inquiry into believing that payments made for a corrupt or dishonest purpose were in fact made for honest reasons.” His sentence hearing has been put off until September 16 this year. The Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT) legal representative Andrew Mitchell told the court that since all the Crown Land that was issued to Padgett by the former administration was returned to the Crown, he has no assets in the TCI to hold against his bail. As such, the SIPT requested that his passport be surrendered within 24 hours, which presiding judge Justice Paul Harrison agreed. Justice Harrison also granted a request by the SIPT for Padgett to sign a waiver to not raise future objections in the event extradition proceedings are mounted against him. The SIPT CONTINUED ON PAGE 2


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