Police seek forfeiture of seized funds

The Commissioner of Police is seeking the forfeiture of the full sum of money seized from a Bush Hall resident who was previously convicted of attempting to export currency without authorisation.

Gregston Ricardo Orlando Sealy had pleaded guilty on November 13, 2024, to attempting to export US$24 943 ($49 886) from Barbados to Jamaica on April 9, 2022, without the requisite authorisation under the Exchange Control Act.

He was ordered by then Magistrate Douglas Frederick, now the Acting Chief Magistrate, to forfeit half of the money after he factored in Sealy’s early plea and aggravating and mitigating circumstances.

Appearing for the Commissioner, Deputy Solicitor General Marsha Lougheed informed District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court No. 1 that an application had been filed under the Proceeds and Instrumentalities of Crime Act on April 11, 2024, for the entire sum to be forfeited, a date which preceded his guilty plea.

“We do not believe that we should be returning any money to Mr Sealy,” she said, adding, “Our position is that we have a civil application before the court relative to the forfeiture of the entire sum. We accept that some of the sum has been confiscated because of his guilty plea as a penalty, but we believe that the rest of the money can still meet the threshold or the balance of probability that the monies that we seized were in fact the proceeds of crime, or if it wasn’t proceeds of crime, it was money that was intended for use in unlawful conduct.”

Attorney Andrew Willoughby, who represents Sealy, is challenging the application, saying that the money laundering case against his client had been withdrawn.

The case was adjourned until December 7.

(JB)