US$ seized in court case to be deposited in Treasury

CLOSE to US$140,000 which was taken from a man accused of trying to smuggle it into the country by hiding it in the lining of a suitcase will no longer be just “lying around.”

Instead it will be deposited in the Treasury to be put in an interest-bearing account with the Central Bank.

The money had been with the property keeper of the Customs and Excise Division, which prosecuted Jesse Vanderpool, who was fined $125,000 when he pleaded guilty to making a false declaration about the cash.

Since Vanderpool was reprimanded and discharged of the charge of trying to smuggle in the cash, Customs appealed, but the magistrate made no order on what to do with the money.

On Friday, Justices of Appeal Alice Yorke-Soo Hon and Maria Wilson granted an order for the money be deposited with the Treasury. The division's attorney, Shirley Sheppard, asked for the order.

Yorke-Soo Hon also suggested it be kept by the registrar of the court, since it might be at risk of “perhaps disappearing” from the division’s property room.

The judges also agreed to join the division’s appeal of the magistrate’s decision with an appeal filed by Vanderpool.

The appeal could not proceed, since Vanderpool lives in the British Virgin Islands, and the court was told that TTPost was having difficulties in getting mail out because of the closed borders, so he had not been served with the proceedings.

Yorke-Soo Hon said the court’s registry will contact Vanderpool’s attorney Vincent Charles so that his client can attend the next hearing virtually.

Sheppard also said the division will ask for an order for the money to be forfeited if it is successful at the appeal.

A new date will be fixed for the appeal.