👨‍⚖️ Watson's conviction was politically motivated, argues lawyer

Andrew Trollope KC, a UK-based lawyer, argued in the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal that the case against Canover Watson was influenced by the government's goal to get the Cayman Islands off the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) grey list, making the conviction unsafe. He claimed that the junior prosecutor and the Anti-Corruption Commission investigator were conflicted as they were also involved in the campaign to remove the jurisdiction from the list. Watson, a former CIFA executive, was convicted on multiple charges in connection with an invoicing scam and is currently serving an eight-year prison term. 🏛️

Trollope argued on several grounds, including that CONCACAF had never reported a crime in relation to the allegations and that thousands of emails supporting Watson's defence were not taken into consideration during the trial. He also criticized Chief Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale for failing to sum up Watson's evidence in her directions to the jury. The lawyer suggested that the prosecution arose from issues with a CIFA audit, not because CONCACAF reported any theft, and was connected to the government's efforts to get off the FATF grey list. 📚

In his arguments against the sentence, Trollope maintained that the eight-year term was too long compared to similar crimes and that the decision to have some of the sentences run consecutively effectively doubled Watson's prison term. The appeal court judges have said they will take some time to consider the appeal and will deliver their judgment in due course. ⚖️