Attorney Wildman asks Chief Justice Sykes to resolve clashing court dates in Reid fraud trial

Lawyer Hugh Wildman has called on Chief Justice Bryan Sykes to step in after conflicting court schedules kept him from the multimillion-dollar fraud trial of former Education Minister Ruel Reid.

Wildman calls for Chief Justice to step in over scheduling conflict

Attorney Hugh Wildman has called on Chief Justice Bryan Sykes to resolve a scheduling conflict that has repeatedly prevented him from attending the multimillion-dollar fraud trial of former Education Minister Ruel Reid and his co-accused, jamaica-gleaner.com reports.

Wildman represents former Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) President Professor Fritz Pinnock, one of the accused in the case being heard at the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court. His repeated absences stem from his simultaneous obligations in the Supreme Court murder trial of six police officers charged in connection with the 2013 killing of three people on Acadia Drive, St Andrew — a case designated as a priority matter.

Speaking at a press conference at his Half-Way Tree law office, Wildman said the situation had become unworkable. "I am saying this must warrant the intervention of the chief justice as to how this thing is to be managed going forward, as it is not making sense to me," he said, adding that he had visited Sykes' office twice seeking a meeting but was told the chief justice was off the island.

His absences have frustrated Senior Parish Court Judge Sanchia Burrell. On Thursday, Burrell warned Pinnock that he might have to take his own notes and conduct his own cross-examination when the trial resumes on Monday — a warning that came after Wildman disclosed he had been granted time away from the Supreme Court to make funeral arrangements following his mother's death and would be unable to attend the fraud trial the following week.

Wildman firmly rejected suggestions that he had deliberately avoided the proceedings. "I can't be more than one place at a time," he said, insisting he remained committed to vigorously defending Pinnock and maintaining that there was no case against his client.

He said he had informed the judge presiding over the murder trial of the scheduling conflict and received assurances that she would contact Burrell directly to explain the circumstances. He also notified the relevant court clerk by email. High Court Judge Sonia Linton Bertram, he said, told him, "Leave that to me. I will protect you."

Wildman disputed Burrell's characterisation of the communication around his absences as "disjointed", "vague", "piecemeal", and "unhelpful at best." He also rejected criticism that he had failed to arrange for a colleague from his chambers to appear in his place, stating that his junior attorney had separate court obligations of her own. Burrell had cautioned attorneys to ensure their firms were adequately staffed, noting that proceedings could not be continuously adjusted to accommodate individual schedules.

Wildman added that he handles several cases on a pro bono basis and that Pinnock had specifically retained him — not another attorney — to lead his defence. "My client did not engage another lawyer. He engaged me, so it would not be fair to me to ask another lawyer to do what I would want to do for my client," he said.

The fraud trial began in October 2023. Reid, his wife Sharen, their daughter Sharelle, Pinnock, and Jamaica Labour Party councillor Kim Brown Lawrence face charges alleging that more than $25 million in public funds was misappropriated through fictitious jobs, contracts, and invoices between 2016 and 2019.

Source: Google News JM — Crime