Moniz Urges Govt To Continue With Lawsuits
Shadow Attorney General Trevor Moniz has urged the new Government to continue with the lawsuits started in relation to Lahey and to Port Royal, saying that “no sensible Government committed to combating corruption would drop these lawsuits and other investigations.”
Shadow Attorney General Trevor Moniz said, “When I was Attorney General and issued proceedings relating to Lahey and to Port Royal, I acted on the basis of compelling evidence and the advice of highly skilled attorneys specializing in white-collar crime.”
Mr Moniz said that the Bermuda Government was allegedly the “clear victim of past crimes and abuses, and it stands to gain millions of dollars in damages.”
“No sensible Government committed to combating corruption would drop these lawsuits and other investigations,” he said. “Given the new Premier’s stated desire for collaboration, I remain open to assisting the new Government and Attorney General on this and various other files.
“Bermuda has committed itself to the highest global standards in the fight against corruption. As AG, I brought into force robust criminal procedure reforms and the Bribery Act, which is due to come into force on 1 September 2017.
“The former OBA Government also started the process of signing up to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions.
“However, combating political corruption is not just a question of putting in place new structures and processes; we actually need to deal with political corruption in a firm and determined manner.
“As a jurisdiction, Bermuda is due to be assessed by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force on its adherence to global standards. Dropping corruption lawsuits in the face of compelling evidence would jeopardize Bermuda’s assessment thereby giving it a black-eye in the international community.
“Therefore, I urge the Government to take advice from their lawyers at Cooley and to continue with the anti-corruption programme commenced during my tenure as AG.”
