It is possible that Donville Inniss may not do jail time on his money laundering conviction, says a leading Caribbean-born attorney in New York.
Frank Wharton explained that Federal District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto would use United States federal sentencing guidelines to determine the extent of punishment for the former minister in the Freundel Stuart administration.
That is expected after the federal probation department submits its report to the court about his background, accomplishments as a prominent elected public official in Barbados, the fact that he has a spotless criminal record, and the crime involved a relatively small amount of money – US$36 000.
“We are talking about a conviction that didn’t involve much money. The funds in question couldn’t even buy a decent used (second-hand) car in Barbados,” added Wharton who practises law in state, city and federal courts in New York.
Wharton said the imposition of punishment during the sentencing phase would signal the end of the trial.
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