From SUN TCI

After almost three years and calling more than 200 witnesses, Andrew Mitchell, QC, the lead prosecutor in the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT) corruption trial, finally closed his case on Thursday, September 20th, 2018.

The court will break for two months and resume on November 26th, 2018 to consider various submissions.

Mitchell told The SUN: “The prosecution has now closed their case. The defence has indicated that they will seek to have the case dismissed. They have been given 5 weeks to prepare those submissions and the prosecution will have 3 weeks to reply.”

The trial of former Premier Michael Misick and co-defendants began on Tuesday December , 8th, 2015 and the Crown’s opening was on Monday 18th January, 2016.

The case is being heard by former President of the Jamaica Court of Appeal, His Lordship Mr. Justice Paul Harrison, who is judge and jury.

On Thursday, Special Counsel Mr. Reginald Armour, the lead defence attorney for Misick, asked the judge to exercise his discretion and allow him to cross-examine Mr. Keith Chamberlain, the former senior special prosecutor who is undergoing medical attention in the UK, when the case resumes in November.

This, he said, will not interrupt the case, but would rather afford Michael Misick his “entitlement to due process and a fair trial”.

Mr. Armour said Chamberlain had overall management and responsibility for the case and was directly answerable to former Special Prosecutor Helen Garlick.

He told the judge that the issue of “unlawful executive interference remained at large”, noting that the evidence of senior investigator John Briggs last week revealed for the first time, the existence of a strategic oversight document and the existence of a strategic oversight group that included former TCIG Chief Executive Mark Capes and Larry Covington, the UK law enforcement advisor for the Overseas Territories.

Armour said Chamberlain’s evidence would be relevant to the issue of unlawful executive interference, especially knowing that Covington was a part of an aborted sting operation that was planned against Misick in Miami.

Chamberlain will be cross-examined on November 26th by video-link.

IMAGE: Andrew Mitchell, QC & Special Counsel Mr. Reginald Armour

For more on this story go to: http://suntci.com/prosecution-closes-case-in-sipt-trial-p3649-129.htm