Former Antigua DPP Loses Appeal in Jamaica Misconduct Case

A Jamaican court has upheld a professional misconduct ruling against former Director of Public Prosecutions in Antigua and Barbuda, attorney-at-law Anthony Armstrong, following findings that he falsely attested to witnessing a property transfer document.

According to the Jamaica Gleaner, the Court of Appeal dismissed Armstrong’s appeal against an earlier ruling by the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council (GLC), which found that he breached professional ethics rules governing attorneys.

The May 1 ruling affirmed that Armstrong violated Canon I(b) of the Legal Profession (Canons of Professional Ethics) Rules, which requires attorneys to uphold the honour and dignity of the legal profession and avoid conduct that could bring it into disrepute.

The case stemmed from a complaint filed in 2019 by Michael Adams, who alleged that three of his Jamaican properties were sold without his knowledge while he was serving a prison sentence in the United States. However, the disciplinary committee found there was insufficient evidence to prove fraud and accepted that Adams had authorised the sales.

The issue before the court centred on Armstrong’s admission that he signed transfer documents as a witness to Adams’ signature despite