Thursday, 23 September 2010 00:00

http://www.guardian.bz/all-crime/2366-money-laundering-case-against-coye-family-begins

The trial of the Coye family and their employees began on Thursday September 16 in the Supreme Court with a jury selection of nine persons, seven women and two men before Justice Adolph Lucas.

The selection which took over 1 hour and 20 minutes occurred despite a special request which was made by FIU Prosecutor, Antoinette Moore.  She was hoping for an adjournment for Monday, September 27 and was also hoping to get time to make submissions for a special jury selection to hear the Coyes’ case. The request was denied and the selection proceeded with the jury pool available. He also ruled that the FIU begin to call witnesses in the case against the Coyes. With that the trial commenced and a charge was read to the Coyes stating that between October 9, 2007 and December 21, 2008, Melanie Coye, Director of the company, along with her mother, Marlene Coye, Michael Coye, her father and her brother, Jude Coye, along with her husband, James Gerou and their two employees, Athlee Matute and Deltrick Kingston and the company, Money Exchange International while in Belize City, were engaged in indirect or direct services of transactions involving proceeds and concealing proceeds in the sum of $1,557,789; the proceeds of crime being fraud or forged.

On Wednesday September 22, Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit, Marilyn Williams told the court that it was the Financial Intelligence Unit that launched an investigation into the activities of the Coyes and directed that the business and the residence be searched. She explained that the search was conducted after which documents from MoneyGram were brought to her office which proved that money was sent and received through that business. She also testified that computers were taken from the business and were delivered to the Police Department’s Information Technology unit who delivered certain CD’s with information which was contained within the computers. Williams concluded her testimony explaining that she also conducted interviews with employees from the Traffic Department and the Information Technology contractor there.

Testimonies are expected from a total of 43 witnesses; included among them are high profile members of society whose names were used.  Included are Justice Manuel Sosa, a Judge of the Court of Appeal; Juliet Thimbriel of Wave Radio Station; William Lindo; Steven Duncan; Lincoln Blake Jr., Martin Marshalleck of Belize Bank; Fiona Humes; Charles Wood Jr., Adele Ramos, Assistant News Editor of Amandala;  Patrick Andrews of Scotia bank; Ornel Brooks; Audrey Matura Shepherd, Oceana Vice President; Justice Herbert Lord of the Supreme Court; Sydney Sikaffy; Adie Castillo; Joan Burrell; Tracey Panton; Henry Gordon; Bishop Phillip Wright; Yolanda Fonseca, and Bryan Budnah Jr.