Ex-premier Michael Misick jailed for four years in Turks and Caicos corruption case

Former Turks and Caicos premier Michael Misick has been sentenced to four years in prison on bribery charges. Two co-defendants received similar sentences on Friday.

Former premier sentenced in years-long corruption trial

A court in the Turks and Caicos Islands has sentenced former premier Michael Misick to four years and 26 days in prison, wral.com reports, following his conviction on three counts of bribery in early February.

Misick was first arrested in December 2012 in Brazil after authorities there rejected his application for political asylum. Prosecutors accused him of corruption, misusing public funds and profiting from the sale of government-owned land to private developers. He has maintained that all charges against him were politically motivated.

Two co-defendants were sentenced in the same hearing on Friday. Former Cabinet minister McAllister Hanchell received three years, while attorney Thomas Misick — Michael Misick's brother — was handed a four-year term. All three were taken into custody and are expected to appeal their sentences.

Michael Misick resigned as premier in 2009, shortly after Britain temporarily assumed direct control of the territory and suspended its constitution in response to widespread corruption allegations. Direct rule ended in November 2012, when new elections were held.

The case had stretched on for years before reaching its conclusion, marking a significant moment in the territory's judicial history.

Source: Google News TC — Crime