Curveball! Two jurors back out of Fahie’s guilty verdict
Two jurors who recently helped to convict former Premier Andrew Fahie who was on trial for drug and money laundering charges changed their minds about the verdict after the trial ended.
Justice Kathleen Williams had already polled the jurors on their unanimous verdicts and discharged them when the two jurors contacted her about their change of heart.
Fahie was convicted on February 8 of conspiracy to import more than five kilograms of cocaine, conspiracy to engage in money laundering, attempted money laundering, and foreign travel in aid of racketeering.
Williams told the prosecution and defence teams that she looked at other cases and said there was none with this particular scenario where some jurors changed their minds immediately after giving a guilty verdict.
“I have extremely limited avenues to explore,” the judge stated.
Prosecutors argued that the judge must stick to the unanimous guilty verdicts given earlier because the jurors had already discharged their duty unless there was a mistake on the verdict form.
However, Fahie’s defence lawyer, Theresa Van Vliet, acknowledged that she too could not find a similar case where jurors backed out of the verdict after being polled, and urged the judge to poll the two jurors in question again.
Van Vliet also told the court that two of the jurors left a voicemail on her law firm’s phone that she had not listened to as yet. The defence and prosecution were both asked to listen to the voicemail privately and report back to the judge.
The court will hear the matter again this Thursday, February 15 to further assess the unique legal problem and arrive at possible solutions. The judge could let the verdicts stand or declare a mistrial, requiring Fahie to be retried before a separate jury panel.
Fahie is scheduled for sentencing on April 29 — just one day past the date he was first arrested two years ago at a Miami airport by US Federal officials. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years up to life on the cocaine-import conspiracy conviction.
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Corruption continues but the same FEDS running through the jurors phones and sirveillance and will find out where their bribe money coming from. They tried to find the most 2 impoverish jurors to offer some money. Hope the profir guy ready to spend some years behind bard eith his friend
Maybe they were not bribed, maybe their families were threatened, it’s a sad world we living in.
Just get over it
We are free now
These 2 jurors have just given Head Coach strengthened grounds for an appeal. Its too late for a mistrial but not too late for a new trial.
The fat lady didn’t apparently started singing until after the jury entered their guilty verdict. Looks like she wants to sing again. Will the judge let her? We shall see.
Had they voted their conscience, there would have been a hung jury and a retrial anyway. I wonder what were their reason(s) for changing their minds?
The fact that they had a change of heart so quickly is significant.
Van Vliet is playing a dangerous game.
It was a set up free the drew
Quter mill have that money he alone can’t pay off the court his uncle going jail and every day he out drinking and drunk his mouth stinks like dog s**t
The best that can happen in his favour is a mis-trial that will result in a re-trial..Then again, these are adults people why wait until they walk out the court after they say guilty to make this claim..It’s just so fishy..I am sure this will be properly investigated..
The case is over, and a verdict was rendered. The judge cannot go back and declare a mistrial.
The only thing possible at this stage is to grant a request for retrial if requested.
The prosecution will definitely fight against it as they would not want a retrial, but the defense will have to fight for it.
It will be up to the judge to deny or accept any retrial at the end of the day.
Nevertheless, the fact that 2 jurors reportedly changed their minds after the verdict was entered so quickly strengthens the case for a retrial. Surely, the judge will be questioning them before any such decision is made.
Lol you can’t change your verdict after the trial. I’ll never understand why this website is such a fan of the former Premier. The man was found guilty. He may be able to appeal such a verdict but those jurors are of no importance anymore.
Is anything this farse will further negatively impact the Judge sentencing him especially if it’s found to be a farse
bvinews can defend themselves; however, let me say this. They are doing their jobs. This is an important development from that case they have been reporting on that is newsworthy.
They are not reporting anymore than other sites in my view.
Now, to say the jurors are of no importance at this stage is wrong. Despite the trial is over, their change of heart is important and will be pivotal in any decision the judge makes relative to a retrial.
Too late, they already said to the court that they thought he was guilty and were dismissed as jurors. Any subsequent statements are as regular citizens not as jurors. This farse is likey to have implications on FAHEYs sentencing in a bad way for him
Very bad PR for the BVI. All folks see is cocaine in the BVI and corruption.
Obviously, the two jurors were either threatened by the gangs behind the drug-running, or they received promise of a pay-off to say that they had changed their minds. Frankly, I’m done with this case. Whatever the court decides we all know that Fahie is guilty of selling his services and selling the country to criminal gangs. We need to move forward, root out all others who have abused their positions to make themselves rich and get this country back on track.
you are either that dude with the blond wig, or you are color blind / because anyone who read the news on the news , knows that it’s the king of the yello site that you should be pointing your dirty finger at . But then again you got millions of names , plus you still using other bloggers names ( AND ) always criticizing bvi news, you need to stay on your site
If it was the juror needed to get home to pick up her kid. This interesting…
The they polled. Tallied, verdict given and the jurors discharged. Job is finished. You cannot go home and discuss the case with friends and family and then home back about change of heart. Case close. Sentencing time now.
Tainted jurors…the jury deliberations are sterile, meaning there should be no discussions outside of the jurors meeting. When your services have been completed and you are discharged, everything else regarding your discussions about the case becomes unsterile. You cannot come back to add or take away from the decision that you have made after the conversations regarding guilt and innocence has been closed Justice must be seen to be done.