As the murder trial of Edward “Alcapone” Green begins in the high court in Roseau today (Monday) concerns are being raised over the cost for the prosecuting of the matter.
A document obtained by Dominica News Online revealed the matter is going to cost taxpayer over $20,000 because an attorney had to be brought in from Trinidad to prosecute the case.
Former Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Gene Pestaina and and now acting DPP, Julian Prevost, have informed the state that they were not in a position to prosecute the matter and so the authorities were forced to bring in Trinidadian, Keith Scotland to do so.
According to a letter from the Ministry of Legal Affairs to Scotland, prosecuting the matter is to cost $15,000.
The letter stated that duration of the “assignment” should be 14 calendar days with the Ministry of Legal Affairs footing the bill for accommodation for 15 nights and meals for 15 days.
The total cost for accommodation is $4,684.61 at US$114.95 per night while total cost for meals is $2,993.34 at US$73.45.
The grand total is $22,677.95
One attorney who did not want to be identified, described the cost as “heavy” however another said given the high profile of the case and the experience of Scotland, the cost is more than justified.
Green is accused of murdering 35-year-old Damien Dorival, whose headless body was found on Elmshall Road in June 2008. His head was later discovered in the Palm Grove River.
Green is represented in the matter by Peter Alleyne.
all i hearing is about alcapone, but no one is saying anything about this Damian what kind of fellow was he?
correction, (The site)
DNO you keep not posting my comments. Isn’t that what the sight is all about? posting the honest truth? then why you cut off my comments? This man has been in prison for so long without a trial. Police could not come up with evidence time after time. This is the plain truth. Why cut off the truth?
No matter what, my heart goes out to him being incarcerated for all those years. They do not know if he committed the crime. Is this the height of negligence and wickedness on the part of those authorities who kept him in prison for all those years? He is now a sick man. He got sick while in prison. Was he properly fed? Was he properly attended to by the prison doctor? I can tell you, he has already paid time for the crime they accused him of committing which they have not yet proved.
Do you realise that this man has friends and that is why the two persons were honest not to do this case. It is high time that person here be wise. If those persons were his friend previously, then are they not right to step down for reasons of biasness. It is high time that we put our brains in gear before openning our mouth. In order for a fair trial, an outside person is better. The money is not a problem but the case is to be tried
$3000.00 dollars food in fifteen days , woy woy woy WT… Lobsters alone man.
That is E.C.200/day or U.S.$74.00 for breakfast lunch and dinner. This is reasonable. Go and akk our P.M. if he can live on that for a day when he is travelling.
It’s disappointing and disconcerting that we have to send overseas for this matter. I would have thought that we had competent and valiant enough attorneys to handle this matter. Then again, it may be best to have it this way to help ensure fair game; but then who’s paying?
Conspiracy theories are running wild.
but wait a minute. if the man killed someone why all this spending money to prosecute him.
Put the Man in the so-called State Palace and feed him pigsnout and dumplin..stupeeessss
We could have found him a comfortable guest house with home cooked meals and save some money…lol
Who is more suitable to procecute such case than a native Dominican? The fact that they are bringing in a stranger, that case will be rushed. They have not yet started but they know already, how many days it will take to get a verdict. Only in Dominica. Well, with that rush to judgment the defendant stands a better chance OF BEING set FREE.
Worrying about E.C.23,000 (= U.S.$.8,500)for a prosecution?? That is E.C.$.4,500 for every year that he has already been incarcerated. I’m far more worried about the accused having spent the best part of five years on remand. Guilty or not, that is simply inexcusable and no money can pay for that.
All that in my tax dollars going for a case. And if convicted, my tax dollars have to house, feed and provide recreation. I used to see more of the prisoners giving back to the community in times gone by; cleaning the roadsides, maintaining the roads etc… Dont they do that any more???
total cost of $22, 677.95 is not exorbitant given that the prosecutor is well established and the nature of the case to be tried. Lawyers do not come cheap especially when they are recruited from overseas. I see no controversy in the amount it is costing the State. In fact, the amount appears to be on the low side.
“Former Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Gene Pestaina and now acting DPP, Julian Prevost, have informed the state that they were not in a position to prosecute the matter”.
Why can they not? CONFLICT OF INTEREST? Is that their reason?
I believe so. Alcapone lived in Mahaut for a long time and Prevost is from there. Also Pestina is from Massacre which is near to Canefield where Alcapone lived with his father. Alcapone was wellknown in those areas.
This website is featuring this non-news event. US$8000 to prosecute a murder case. That is small change. DNO you are useless as a news source
Then why are you commenting here on DNO?
well pay it then
*ONe note DNO: It appears that in your reporting you keep mixing up USD and EC without specifying at least the EC- a little confusing
While I find the daily cost of food is extremely high, I don’t know what else that goes into preparing for this trial. It is certainly not the days that he is down here. I would think that are some preparation that he and his staff has to do prior to coming down to Dominica, and during his time here.
So the man did his crime and now they have to take our tax money to pay for lawyer? Those criminals really have privilege. No wonder they’re bold when doing their crimes.
In every civilized country in the world the government pays the salary of the prosecutor to try a criminal case. Taxes from citizens fund those salaries. That means we citizens are defended against violent criminals going free and yes we pay for this.
Not Lawyer Prosecutor. Read the man has his lawyer. The prosecutor represents the state. The prosecutor recused themselves to avoid the problem of biasness. People read once, then twice and thrice if this needs be to understand what you read.
You must read the entire story dating back to four years ago. It is assumed that he committed the crime. Even though he is in prison, they have not yet proved that he did commit the crime. This is why there is a hearing.
It is sad that he was imprisoned all those years. This contributed to the deterioration of his health also, no doubt due to lack of proper nutrition.
i dont no much about that alcopon person but if he kill some one like that and they have proof why waste all that money just hang the man and call it judge
Their problem is they do not really know if he committed the crime. He is only a suspect. Yet they kept him in prison for all those years. How unfair.
We want secko case no matter the cost. It is the most important case in the history of Dominica. Dem fellas have to pay!
Hello. Twenty Thousand Dollars isn’t a lot of money for this perpetrator to get his day in Court. By bringing the outside prosecutor his defense Attorney will not be able to appeal by claiming the two prosecutor had some type of interest or bias against him. In the long run this might end up saving the Country money because we know he is going to appeal if he is convicted therefore this will remove one aspect of his appeal . Also looking a the break down of the fees it seems reasonable to me.
Local attorneys charge Ec $10,000.00 for a murder case.Because of the politicization of everything in Dominica and the heavy media impact this case has already been subjected and of course the fact that our local atttorneys in one way or another have come into contact with Capone himself, family or friends, itis better that theDPP recuse himself. That is a new expression and era in jurisprudence in Dominica. Court officials recusing themselves on the flimsiest of reasons. By the way an inquest will be opened in the sudden death of a Chinese national here. I wonder if the new magistrate from Grenada should recuse himself (if it comes to him)from the case because he was on Skerrit’s platform some time ago.
Only one thing though, I could have cooked for the judge.
He looks healthy enough and probably eats a lot.
You would have to cook him the T & T national dish or would it be the Dominica National Dish.
is not the judge domi is the prosecutor> hahahaha
That case is lost and Scotland laughing all the way to the bank. Dominica police don’t even have a very simple drug and alcohol testing kits much less for testing DNA. Remember peeps its been five years. Your lawyers could not prosecute, WHY??, cause your evidence is tainted. Peter that’s your win bro !
We hope so. I know the Greens dating back to when I resided in DA. They were/are decent people. I do not know what happened to him which caused him to be in such a situation. I wish him well and wish for his acquittal. If this occurred, I hope he will have learned a lesson and change his attitude. After all he is sick. In this case, may God help him.
That case is lost and Scotland laughing all the way to the bank with Y’all money. The police don’t even have alcohol and drug testing kits, much less for modern day DNA investigation, plus five years ago in Dominica?, forget it THAT CASE IS LOST. Peter that case is yours bro guilty or not. Thank you.
that is what u all do with our tax money and u expect us to pay tax timely and regularly,,their is no one in Dominica who can handle such matter other than these to DPP who refused???..come on D/ca
i still can’t believe this is real..did a man really cut off the young man’s head. wow. that musta been something drastic that happened between them but that does not give him no right to take a man’s life like this. i only know animals being treated like this yet this is no way to treat an animal. ah ah ah i hope justice prevails because i where i a mdaily those guys always talk bout chapping head off and then they going in jail. they say this because they know that the end result is that they eventually get freedom. dominica is vrying out . help ..dominica is crying cause she wants to vomit these type of people. Lord hear our cry. Lord i can’t feel at home in this world anymore.
Yeap!—cri—they do,he was in a “gang” that thought of,(a group people,RASTA’) that way,His lawer was a ‘previledge one’,of that group,so he did not got hassled,Yet again,the lawer is working for his money,and the man need his day in court.This is the Dominica real story.
typo error;lawyer,not lawer.
The question is why can’t we find a local to prosecute? Is it that we have only two competent prosecutors who have recused themselves?
The cost is ok, the matter needed to be dealt with. Alot more money is being wasted on matters which are not as important as putting this man on trial for a horrible crime.
I just want to see the final outcome.
Have you convicted him before his trial?
free al capone! free al capone! free al capone! free al capone! free al capone! free al capone! free al capone! free al capone! free al capone! free al capone! free al capone! free al capone! free al capone!
After all those years without a trial and he is sick. Pray for his acquittal.
99.9% of layers are greedy and money is their motivation. We are very much accustomed to their exorbitant fees in the name of justice and even the one who hinted that the cost might be ‘heavy’ is no different. However the ‘man’ is entitled to a trial whatever the cost.
Who is that cost important to ? Not me for sure. why should that even make the news? just saying eh!
Matt and Lennox spoke about it.
Dont you pay taxes?? Cause its your tax dollars that paying for it.
Let me hear you all now. WE want justice and we want murderers to pay or we want to save money?
I need that 20 Grand.. Let mister pay for his gruesome crime boi. Dem man dere not easy.
A small price to pay for justice… I rather my tax dollars spent like that than to give people free galvanize come election time!
This is good but, the state should bring in outside folks to take care of the Gon Emanuel Matter too..
FBI,MI5 and Israeli Intelligence too as we have matters In the middle east pertaining to holding offices selling dominica’s passport..
Edo when workers come in we taking a loan to clean up the slate of highly corrupt activities which has caused dominica to have two damaged legs ok.
You still dreaming about coming in? LOL! Time to wake up from your slumber!
The cost is not too much, given the high profile of the case and the experience of the prosecutor.
Sounds reasonable to me.