State discontinues criminal matter against three accused

This flashy Hummer was seized by the police in the matter
This flashy Hummer was seized by the police in the matter

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Evelina Baptiste, has filed discontinuance notices in criminal matters involving Jhawnie Gage, his mother, Arah Davis and Edgar Peltier.

All three were before the court on alleged money laundering charges but having appeared in the Criminal Session of the High Court on Tuesday, they were told that the matter has been “discontinued” and that “they were free to go.”

Late last year, the three won a judicial review matter which challenged the State after they were arrested.

A ruling was subsequently made that the decision by the chief magistrate to allow them to stand trial at the High Court was wrong and “ultra vires.”

The court also ruled that the criminal matter which was stayed by the court pending the outcome of the judicial review has to be dismissed.

The matter goes back to 2010 when Gage and Peltier were arrested for allegedly engaging in money laundering at Shawford Estate through certain properties which the police said were the proceeds of crime.

According to the charge, the offence occurred between June 30, 2007 and June 30 2010.

Some of the items in question included a concrete house with a built-in Jacuzzi, land, several boats, a Hummer SUV registration PN 999, several flat screen television sets, an electricity generator, jewelry, kitchen appliances and home furniture, motorcycles and six surveillance cameras, all found in a house in Shawford.

In July, 2010, Davis had come to the court to secure bail for her son, Gage, but was detained outside the courthouse and taken into custody. She too was slapped with money laundering charges.

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26 Comments

  1. Charles Joseph
    January 16, 2015

    The incompetent fool or fools who arrested the people in the first place should be made to pay for embarrassing the people and our police service

  2. Charles Joseph
    January 16, 2015

    The facts no haters allowed

  3. January 15, 2015

    We living in a country where the minimum wage is $4.50 per hour and at that rate people can not even get a little job to maintain themselves. so when a person tries to uplift himself from the poverty stricken life that is put that is put before him it will always create a problem because the system is design for the small man in Dominica to die struggling. So when you elevate over these struggles it will always become a problem for the small thinking people whose personal live is lock up in a little match box. Life is all about chances and choices , for eg Facebook owners started with ideas they now worth over forty billion and they are very young. Give young people a chance to live they are our future generation

  4. January 15, 2015

    they freezing all their case and there is nothing state can do than to dismiss. when one knows what to do to get away from the law is a plus.

  5. The Facts
    January 15, 2015

    So they are acquitted. Where did they get the money to also furnish the house and purchase vehicles? Surely it came from somewhere.
    These people should have been placed under surveillance and this should have included their telephone conversations.
    You escaped the Dominica Law but not the Law of God. Whatever you have done to live this lavish lifestyle, God knows. You will not escape from him, and his just punishment. In the long run crimes do not pay. Who loses in the end?

  6. jobe
    January 14, 2015

    We live in a country where the minimum wage is $4.50 per hour and at that rates people still cant get work. So when a person tries to uplift himself from the poverty stricken life that is put before him it will always create problem because of skin colour, lastname and grudge and envy. Its so hard for middle class people in dominica, it seems that you are limited to middle class activities only how sad. You must drive a 1998 toyota rav4 , live in a 3 bedroom house and dine at less sophisticated restaurant . Black people gotta strive for more , those conditions were then we living in a different time now. and please those of you in authority make the youths them strive remember they are the future for tomorrow. If you see then going a wrong path please correct them.

  7. juspassin
    January 14, 2015

    we all hav to eat bread, we all hav our huslte going to feed our family, so who is me or you to take bread from someone, when all of us guilty some way or how in de eyes of the big man above and sometimes ourself….

  8. anonymous
    January 14, 2015

    the police charges someone with proceeds from crime and yet has not provided evidence of these people being involved or engaging in any sort of criminal activity…! the officers who made this criminal charge should be dismissed from their jobs and those accused should sue the government… laughing out loud at these clowns of officers all the way to the bank….idiots!

  9. SOS
    January 14, 2015

    DA is the only country where authorities are almost successful is stopping the underground economy, ever other country controls it. They realised that the underground economy is vital to the growth and development of the country. Take the US for example, they have satellites that identify objects on other planets, they have google earth, don’t you think they can track and stop the cocaine trade from the jungle of Columbia to the streets of NY or California? they can but they know that economy is vital to their development and continued way of life to they keep it under control.
    98% of the drugs that passes through this island are destine for bigger countries, we get the money which are used to build houses, pay rent, feed children, buys car/bikes etc.
    I am not saying we should assist the drug dealers in their operation but why work so hard to stop them when the money they bring back benefits the country??
    What we should be doing is talking them about stopping the related crime.

    • KoKo Naughts
      January 14, 2015

      Well said my friend. It’s like we in the islands are caught between a rock and a hard place. The US pumped billions into Central America to stem the flow of drugs. Now that it is going through the islands what we get from them to fight it? $5 million to share among a pachay islands and a boat that always have a problem… Stupes tan.

  10. Shaka zulu
    January 14, 2015

    It just points to the incompetence of investigation and prosecution. Then again politicians swindling the country some building 1,2, and 3 homes others mansion and abusing state security.
    Dominica is the best place to kill, steal, and lie and get away with it. Swindlers paradise.

  11. jo
    January 14, 2015

    So crime does pay!

  12. Bawi
    January 14, 2015

    Dey got away with it but the master of all judges an court systems are looking from above and not ur money can buy you away this time. Remember all ropes have an end u must
    Oh boy wat are we comin to

  13. UKDominican
    January 14, 2015

    Noke shut that Gob

  14. Naman luke
    January 14, 2015

    Presence of #3421

  15. me again
    January 14, 2015

    i don’t have a problem with that . if the bigshots came escape so can he

  16. UKDominican
    January 14, 2015

    To the previous complainers some of you said that Dominicans and politicians are drug dealers how comes you don’t include yourselves. It is funny that allyou always know who dealing and who not dealing is it because allyou buying from them

  17. Peter Potter
    January 14, 2015

    I am lost for words right now! The only ones to spring to mind are: corruption and incompetence.

  18. Lang Mama
    January 14, 2015

    Lang Mama dislike drug dealers and would prefer see all of them behind bars. But there are money laundering politicians and their lawyers who can blatantly move millions through facilitators in the banks ,the police know about it yet nothing happens.
    What about the riches that certain politicians cannot substantiate –
    there was massive money laundering during the election no one arrested
    As much as I dislike drug dealers I say on the basis of what is good for the Manikous is Google for the goutI let the drug dealers be .
    Who am I to categorize evil when even the priests and other religious leaders think right is wrong and wrong right..
    until they arrest the biggest money launderers in Dominica it fair game for all money launderers . Moral decay is just as dangerous as drugs is to our society

    • Moonlight
      January 14, 2015

      Is there a better grade than A+? I would give it 2 U lang Papa!

  19. grell
    January 14, 2015

    Corrupt country what else to expect.

  20. grandson
    January 14, 2015

    I continue to say it… the custodians of the law decides who gets convicted and who don’t… money talk bull walks and kaka stinks

  21. Titiwi
    January 14, 2015

    Can they now sue the state for damages?

    • RasNah
      January 14, 2015

      Hope they do. Labour working

    • LawieBawie
      January 14, 2015

      Your tax money. Its you will feel it. You will be no better off while they will be even better off than they presently are. Wipe the putty off your nose!!!

  22. Noke
    January 14, 2015

    Technicalities.

    The passport issue with the PM when he was not required to show his passport.
    GON Emanuel case when the witness is deemed unreliable by police.
    Bin Bobol when the mistake, is well nothing to do with the supplier being ……
    Those technicalities including this have nothing to do with the people NOT being guilty.

    Its just about the mantra, that if you get away with it, then you got away with it.

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