Barbara Gayle, Justice Coordinator

The prosecution is to call more than 10 witnesses during the fraud trial of Carlos Hill, former head of the failed unregistered investment scheme Cash Plus Ltd.

Hill is facing charges of fraudulently inducing persons to invest and fraudulently attempting to induce people to invest.

A seven-member jury was selected yesterday to try the case, but an adjournment was granted until today to give the defence lawyers time to review a document which the prosecution served on them yesterday morning.

Justice Paulette Williams, who is presiding at the trial, asked the jurors who were summoned to indicate when they entered the jury box whether they were affiliated with Cash Plus or knew anyone who was. One juror said he was associated with the island's football Premier League, of which Cash Plus was a former sponsor. The juror was excused from serving.

Hill's trial should have started last week Monday, but an application was made last week to give him time to take steps to pay investors.

Yesterday, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn told the court that she had some documentation in relation to payment to investors, but verification was a matter for the trustee in bankruptcy. She said her remit was to prosecute the matter.

Williams remarked that she had indicated from last week that her concern was to start the trial.

Attorney-at-law Valerie Neita-Robertson, who is representing Hill, said the defence was ready but indicated that the proceedings in court might obstruct the other matter. Attorney-at-law Deborah Martin is also representing Hill.

MONEY LOCATED

It was disclosed last week that Hill had submitted to the DPP a document from a foundation in the United States indicating that there was US$75 million to be paid to investors.

Trustee in Bankruptcy Celia Barclay told The Gleaner/Power 106 News Centre yesterday that her office had not received any documentation from Hill. A total of $10 billion is owed to some 40,000 depositors. Cash Plus went into liquidation in 2008.

Barclay said her office had been seeking to find Cash Plus assets for liquidation to make payments to creditors. She said the office was still not in a position to say when payments would be made to Cash Plus investors.

barbara.gayle@gleanerjm.com