Police to return over $500k to barber’s son after court order

POLICE have agreed to return more than $500,000 to the son of a barber, after the money was held for several years during forfeiture proceedings in the magistrates’ court.

Back in December 2019, police seized $883,600 from the barber, who had taken paper-based $100 bills to the bank to exchange them for the new polymer notes. The old notes became invalid after December 31, 2019, as part of a government plan to fight crime and target illegal money.

The barber died in May 2021 due to covid19 complications. His son, who became the legal representative of his estate, took part in the court case. The magistrate’s court eventually ruled that the seized money should be returned.

After the ruling, however, police did not immediately release the money. The barber’s son, through his lawyers Keron Ramkhalwhan and Anwar Hosein, sent a formal legal letter in May, saying that keeping the money was illegal since the police no longer had the legal right to hold it under the Proceeds of Crime Act. The lawyers said the police had no legal authority to not follow the court order and that it violated his client’s right to due process.

In response on June 6, Delise Springer, legal officer for the police service, said the Financial Investigations Branch (FIB) didn’t release the money earlier since they did not have legal documentation for the barber’s estate to facilitate the release of cash as ordered by the court.

She explained that only after receiving the lawyer’s letter did the FIB learn that the son had received the necessary documents to manage his father’s estate. Once this was confirmed, a request was sent to the Comptroller of Accounts to release the money, she added.

Springer also said the money had been kept in an interest-bearing account as required by law, but the FIB is not yet sure how much interest has built up. She assured that the FIB would contact the son or his lawyer directly to arrange for the return of the funds.