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Ray John and Shakema Charles
The high-profile passport fraud case involving suspended Superintendent of Police Ray John has been rescheduled to October 9.
Magistrate Conliffe Clarke will rule on defence counsel submissions to dismiss the case against John and his co-accused, former partner Shakema Charles.
John and Charles stand accused of conspiring with Vincentian resident Lonzel Jones to produce fake passport bio pages using unauthorized Multi-Layered Infilling Sheets.
In a surprising turn earlier this year, Justice Tunde Bakre dismissed all charges against Jones and James.
The judge ruled that conspiracy charges couldn’t be tried by judge alone under current law. This decision came late in the proceedings, as the trial was nearing its conclusion.
However, the legal saga took another unexpected turn when Jones and James were promptly recharged and brought before the St. John’s Magistrate’s Court, effectively restarting the case against them.
As the October 9 hearing approaches, all eyes are on Magistrate Clarke’s impending decision, which could significantly impact the trajectory of this complex legal battle.
I hope he gets the same treatment as a civilian,they get away with to much
They know why they stalling
Always those with power,thats why my trust will always only be in god
Real talk amen to that
Antiguans, Barbudans, country (wo)men all, lend me your ears. Stay focused. All of a sudden there is a big hue and cry to bring back to the helm of the police force a reputed dirty cop, aligned with the ruling ABLP, Ray John! Ray’s reputation as an alleged dirty cop, currently charged with the fraudulent sale/distribution of Antigua/Barbuda passports is the reason for him being before the courts at this present time. Who are these people agitating for a) his release from all charges and b) his reinstatement as a contender for the top cop post and 3) his actual taking over the command of the entire Police Force! Have we all lost our senses? The PM, once again was spot on! The judiciary in Antigua does in fact need to closely scrutinized and monitored. Why is Ray John not behind bars today? Political connections? Judicial hanky-panky? Watch closely.