Ex-Premier of Turks and Caicos Gets 4-Year Prison Term in Graft Trial

Michael Misick, who once led the Turks and Caicos Islands, has been ordered to spend more than four years in prison following a bribery conviction that capped a lengthy anti-corruption prosecution.

Ex-Premier of Turks and Caicos Gets 4-Year Prison Term in Graft Trial

A judge has ordered Michael Misick, the former leader of the Turks and Caicos Islands, to serve a prison term exceeding four years following his conviction in a high-profile graft case that stretched across many years.

The New Haven Register reports that the ruling came down on Friday, imposing a sentence of four years plus 26 days. Earlier in February, jurors found Misick guilty on three separate bribery counts. He has repeatedly claimed the prosecution was driven by political motives rather than evidence.

Misick's legal troubles began when Brazilian police detained him in December 2012 after his bid for political refuge was turned down. Investigators alleged he had engaged in corrupt practices, diverted taxpayer money for personal gain, and pocketed proceeds from transactions involving state-owned parcels sold to real-estate developers.

The same proceeding produced sentences for two co-defendants. McAllister Hanchell, who had served in Misick's cabinet, was given three years, while Thomas Misick — the ex-premier's sibling and a practicing lawyer — received a four-year term. Officers took all three men into custody right away, and their legal teams are expected to challenge the punishments on appeal.

Misick stepped down from the premiership in 2009 after London stepped in to run the territory directly, suspending its constitution in response to claims of pervasive dishonesty in government. The period of British oversight ended in late 2012 when voters returned to the polls.

Source: Google News TC — Crime