His Excellency the Governor will on Tuesday January 24th host a media briefing by Mr.Laurence Harris, partner in charge of Edwards Wildman Palmer, the international law firm undertaking the civil recovery programme here in the TCI.
The briefing will provide an overview of:
* the 51 civil recovery cases currently being auctioned by Edwards Wildman Palmer
* the importance of this to the TCI: Edwards Wildman Parker’s five largest cases would see 1,200 acres of land and over $50m in damages returned to the Crown
* Edwards Wildman Palmer already securing $2.4m in damages and recovering 900 acres for the Crown and
* All major cases scheduled, or expected to be scheduled, for trial in 2012
This civil recovery work pursues civil actions to recover land and damages where this course of action is more appropriate than criminal proceedings, and is a direct action from the publication of the report of the Commission of Inquiry headed by Sir Robin Auld and the suspension of parts of the 2006 Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order.
This report also led to the establishment of the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT) to investigate, and where appropriate, prosecute allegations of corruption and other improper practices revealed by Sir Robin’s Report.
There are, therefore, two ways in which civil recovery can take place, either through a civil claim under the general law brought by Edwards, Wildman Palmer, or through a civil action under the Proceeds of Crime Ordinance brought by SIPT following a criminal investigation.
The media briefing by His Excellency the Governor and Laurence Harris is expected to take place from 11:30am until 12:30pm tomorrow Tuesday, 24
January in the Conference Suite of the Department of Disaster Management and Emergency in Providenciales.
