Court: Man Convicted Of Perverting Justice
Joel Ismail and Paul Charity were found not guilty of converting criminal property following a trial in Wales, however Mr Charity was convicted of “perverting the course of justice,” which related to deleting emails.
This follows after Jeffrey Bevan — who previously worked for the Bermuda Government and is one of the people on trial in Wales — admitted multiple counts of transferring and converting criminal property, with the court hearing he transferred £1.3m [$1.8m] into his bank account in the UK, and then spent it on gambling, cars and houses.
Trial In Wales In Connection With $2.5 Million
Four people were charged last year in Wales, and at that time the Bermuda Police said that Jeffrey Bevan, Samantha Bevan, Joel Ismail and Paul Charity appeared before Cardiff Crown Court “charged in connection with various money laundering offences.”
“The charges stem from a number of financial transactions conducted by Mr. Bevan whilst employed in the office of the Accountant General in Bermuda,” the police said.
“The theft was discovered after Bevan and his wife left Bermuda, with the funds having been transferred by electronic means through a local financial institution.
“All four defendants entered not guilty pleas to the charges which come following the four year joint international police investigation.
“The four defendants are accused of laundering the proceeds of $2.5 million allegedly stolen from the Government of Bermuda between May 2011 and June 2013.”
Two Cleared Of Converting Criminal Property, One Convicted Of Perverting Course Of Justice
Wales Online reported, “An accountant’s friend and financial advisor have been cleared of helping him to launder thousands of pounds stolen from the Government of Bermuda.
“Jeffrey Bevan, 50, from Cwmbran, admitted transferring nearly $2.5m from his employer into his own bank accounts and spending it on gambling, Mercedes vehicles and properties.
“His friend Joel Ismail and financial advisor Paul Charity denied laundering the money with him by buying properties in Swansea.
“They were found not guilty by a jury of six men and six women of converting criminal property following a week-long trial at Cardiff Crown Court.
“The jury found Ismail not guilty of four counts of converting criminal property and found Charity not guilty of three counts of the same offence.
“Charity was convicted of one count of perverting the course of justice, which related to deleting emails. In a police interview, Charity accepted deleting messages he thought sounded “incriminating”, such as one that contained the phrase: “No more money laundering department”.
Mr Bevan and Mr Charity will be sentenced on February 16th.
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