The Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT) eagerly awaited hearings into alleged wrongdoings by members of the Turks and Caicos Community have been postponed until next month.
RTC has been made aware that defence lawyers have requested more time to prepare their arguments and present their clients cases as they deem the time frame given by SIPT to be unreasonable given the fact that some documents were only recently received.
The persons who were scheduled to appear at the preliminary hearings are Jak Civre, Floyd Hall, Lisa Hall, Richard Padgett, Lillian Boyce, Jeffrey Hall, Chal Misick, Samuel Been, Melbourne Wilson, Earlson Robinson and Quinton Hall.
On January 25th, Special Prosecutor Helen Garlick wrote a letter to the Registrar of the Supreme Court and the lawyers for the defendants requesting the postponement, following that, Chief Justice Edwin Goldsborough made an order stating that all of the defendants and their lawyers will be excused from attending the preliminary hearing which was slated for Grand Turk.
The Chief Justice also ordered that on March 9th 2012 at 10 a.m. or so soon thereafter as lawyers may be heard, the Court will determine such sufficiency hearings as can be determined on that day, and adjourn any such hearing as cannot be determined that day to a further hearing, giving further directions in relation to sufficiency hearings as may be appropriate.
