Lawyers to make fresh attempt to have Ray John case thrown out

Lawyers representing suspended Superintendent of Police Ray John and his former partner Shakema Charles are trying everything they can to ensure that their clients are not convicted of passport fraud.

This morning, the duo appeared in court and their attorneys indicated that they intend to file no case submissions to have the matter thrown out.

The two, charged in relation to a major passport scam, were freed from all of the criminal charges against them in March when Justice Tunde Backre dismissed the charges having held that the law does not allow for conspiracy to be tried by a judge alone.

But their victory was short-lived as they were recharged moments ago and brought to the St. John’s Magistrate’s Court.

John and Charles are once again jointly accused of conspiring with Vincentian resident Lonzel Jones to create fake passport bio pages using unauthorized Multi-Layered Infilling Sheets.

John, with Charles’ assistance, allegedly sent the necessary documents to Jones through a friend, Lisborn Michael, from the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda.

However, police intercepted Jones and John’s nephew, Geraldo James, during a transaction involving the final documents.

The defendants, represented by Defense attorneys Hugh Marshall and Michael Archibald, maintained that they were innocent and, therefore, made two attempts to have the case dismissed in the High Court during their trial.

Their no-case submission failed because the judge believed that they had to answer to the charges.

But the second application was a success with the judge agreeing that he should not have presided over the matter without a jury unless he gets consent.

Now with the matter back in the Magistrates’ court, the defense is hoping to have the case thrown out before it gets to the point of a committal and then retrial.

They are to file no case submissions and await a decision from Magistrate Conliffe Clarke.

Their next court appearance is September 12.