标签： Barbados

A long-running criminal case against two former Inland Revenue Department employees accused of coordinated fraud and serious public office misconduct has been pushed back for another hearing, renewing sharp criticism from top prosecution officials over repeated procedural holdups that have stretched the case out for more than a decade.

Two accused, Joseph Nathaniel Sobers, a clerical officer based in Pie Corner, St Lucy, and Cheryl Leverne Thomas, an assistant accountant from Kingsland, Christ Church, face two overlapping criminal charges. Prosecutors allege that between August 2008 and June 2009, the pair conspired to deceive a private individual named Shane Hurley into paying them $45,000. The false scheme centered on claiming Hurley owed $375,000 in unpaid taxes to the Inland Revenue Department, and that a $45,000 payment to the two civil servants would fully clear the purported debt. The second charge accuses the pair, as public officials entrusted with tax administration, of intentional misconduct that violated the public’s trust by soliciting the unauthorized $45,000 payment for a non-existent outstanding tax obligation.

When the case was called before the Supreme Court’s Court No. 4 on Monday, the legal team for both defendants was absent. Lead defense counsel for each accused—Senior Counsel Andrew Pilgrim representing Sobers, and Sade Harris representing Thomas—were tied up with other matters in separate courtrooms across the jurisdiction, leaving only junior attorneys to stand in for the defendants on the hearing date.

Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Alliston Seale, a Senior Counsel who appeared in court personally for the hearing, voiced public frustration over the continued delay. Seale explained he had attended the hearing specifically to get clear direction on scheduling the trial from the lead defense attorneys who are overseeing the case. He noted that the matter had already been adjourned the previous week, when he first raised questions about moving the trial process forward.

“I have nothing but respect for the junior counsel appearing today, but I came here to hear from the attorneys actually leading the defense so we could finalize a path forward,” Seale told the court. “We are in exactly the same position we were in last week. I could have sent a junior member of my team to hold this hearing while I handled other work back at the office.”

Seale emphasized that the prosecution has been fully prepared to proceed with the trial for years, yet no progress has been made. “We are no closer to a resolution today than we were years ago. Then we end up hearing widespread complaints about the slow pace of justice—this kind of delay is incredibly frustrating,” he added.

Presiding Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell responded by adjourning the case to a new hearing date of September 9, issuing a clear warning that a binding decision on the next steps for the trial would be issued at that time, no matter which defense attorneys are present in court. The justice’s comment signaled a push to end the cycle of adjournments that has held up the case.

This is not the first time Seale has pushed back against delays in the case. Last week, he publicly stated that prosecution had never contributed to the hold-ups at any point in the legal process, and highlighted the unnecessary toll that extended delays take on all parties connected to the case, including the alleged victim, the accused, and the public justice system.

In a landmark moment for Caribbean legal leadership, Barbadian legal professional Shaquille Newton has secured a historic position on the governing body of the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel (CALC), breaking new ground for small island developing states across the global bloc. Elected earlier this month during CALC’s full conference and general assembly held in Singapore, Newton will serve as the official representative for the Americas region on the association’s leadership council. His election follows closely on the heels of another Caribbean milestone: Jamaican attorney Michelle Daley became the first person from the Caribbean region to be elected president of CALC, marking a unprecedented shift in regional representation at the top of the 42-year-old organization. Together, the pair have cemented the Caribbean’s growing influence in shaping global standards for legislative drafting across the Commonwealth.

Newton, currently a senior legal advisor with the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) working on the US-UK criminal justice reform initiative, brings a wealth of hands-on experience to the new role. Prior to joining the FCDO, he served as a parliamentary counsel in Barbados’ Attorney General’s Chambers, where he drafted dozens of key pieces of national legislation and contributed to high-priority law reform projects across the island. The trailblazing attorney emphasized that his historic election is far more than a personal achievement: it opens new doors for small island nations like Barbados to contribute meaningfully to global conversations about the rule of law. As an accredited Commonwealth institution, CALC maintains direct input into key multilateral forums including the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference, giving Newton and Daley a platform to center the unique legislative challenges faced by small and developing jurisdictions that have long been overlooked by larger, more established members.

At the core of Newton’s policy agenda is a pressing issue that has plagued Barbados and many other jurisdictions across the Americas: a critical shortage of skilled legislative drafters. He noted that across the global legislative drafting community, there is a well-documented dearth of qualified professionals, making capacity building the top priority of his tenure. “It is my goal, as Americas’ representative, to embark on initiatives to help build capacity in legislative drafting,” Newton shared in an interview with Barbados TODAY. He added that the historic election of two Caribbean leaders to CALC’s top leadership holds broader symbolic meaning for small jurisdictions: for the first time, nations that face unique legislative challenges distinct from larger members like the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada will be at the forefront of guiding the organization’s work, bringing fresh perspectives that better reflect the needs of the Global South.

Regional legal observers have welcomed the dual milestones, noting that the shift in leadership will elevate the global profile of Caribbean legislative drafting expertise while opening new pathways for cross-regional mentorship and collaborative reform. Founded to foster cooperation and knowledge sharing among legislative counsel across the 56-member Commonwealth bloc, CALC works to uphold rigorous global standards for legislative drafting, expand access to targeted training and mentorship, and support law reform initiatives in developing member states. During his election campaign, Newton centered his platform on strengthening unity among legislative drafters across the Americas, and pledged to expand professional development and mentorship opportunities for early-career drafters — a step he argues is critical to building long-term, sustainable legislative drafting capacity across the entire Commonwealth.

Following his confirmation as Americas’ representative, Newton expressed gratitude to CALC members for placing their trust in his leadership, and said he is eager to collaborate with President-elect Daley and the full council to deepen cross-regional cooperation across the Americas. He also paid tribute to his early mentors, retired Barbadian Chief Justice Sir David Simmons and Deputy Chief Parliamentary Counsel Shawn Raine Belle, and thanked the team at the British High Commission in Barbados — including High Commissioner Simon Mustard, Deputy High Commissioner Charley Williams, and Criminal Justice Adviser Sirah Abraham — for their ongoing support throughout his campaign and career.

A decorated legal scholar, Newton was awarded a prestigious Chevening Scholarship in 2021, and holds multiple advanced degrees focused on legislative practice. He earned a Master of Laws with Distinction in Drafting Legislation, Regulation and Policy from the University of London, a Master of Laws in Corporate and Commercial Law from The University of the West Indies, a Bachelor of Laws, and a Legal Education Certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School, alongside a specialized certificate in law consolidation from the Regional Law Revision Centre in Anguilla. His academic research and writing on legislative drafting and law reform has been published in leading international journals, including CALC’s official publication *The Loophole* and the *European Journal of Law Reform*. During the Singapore conference, Newton presented new research titled *Operationalising Legislative Quality: A Comparative Analysis of the Drafting Conventions of Barbados, the United Kingdom and New Zealand*, which explores how technical drafting approaches directly shape the quality and efficacy of final legislation.