Former TCI premier Michael Misick and two others found guilty on corruption charges

COCKBURN TOWN, Turks and CAICOS ISLANDS, CMC – Justice Rajendra Narine will on May 4 this year hear arguments in the sentencing phase of the case against three people, including former premier, Michael Misick, after they were found guilty on Wednesday in the Turks and Caicos Islands on a series of charges dating back to more than two decades.

Misick, along with his brother, attorney Thomas Chalmers 'Chal' Misick, and former government minister McAllister Hanchell, had been slapped with multiple charges stemming from a long-running corruption investigation involving more than $20 million in alleged bribes, fraudulent land deals, and money laundering.

The Trinidad-born judge delivered his verdict during a four-hour hearing after he had presided over the matter without a jury.

He granted bail pending sentence, with the former premier’s bail now set at US$15 million, Hanchell at US$4 million, and US$13 million for the former premier’s brother.

The three men are not allowed to leave the island.

The court will also rule on the confiscation of properties valued at an estimated US$25 million at a later stage.

When the judge asked the defendants if they had anything to say before sentencing, they said they would speak through their lawyers.

The charges included bribery, conspiracy to defraud the Crown and the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and violations of the Proceeds of Crime Ordinance.

Misick was found guilty of three counts of bribery in relation to the Beaches, land on Salt Cay, and West Caicos, while Hanchell was convicted of two counts of bribery connected to land on Salt Cay and West Caicos. Chal Misick was convicted on four counts of money laundering.

The court heard that the scheme involved corrupt payments totalling approximately US$14.2 million related to Salt Cay, US$4.7 million tied to West Caicos, and US$2 million connected to Beaches-related transactions.

Prosecutor Andrew Mitchell, KC said the defendants accepted unlawful payments and other inducements from developers in exchange for favourable government decisions involving Crown land at Salt Cay, West Caicos and properties linked to the Beaches resort group.

Misick served as the premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) from 2006 to 2009, resigning amid widespread allegations of corruption following a British inquiry that revealed “clear signs” of financial misconduct and improper dealings involving Crown land.

After the 2008–2009 Commission of Inquiry exposed systemic abuses, the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT) was established in 2010 to investigate and prosecute former officials.

Charges were first brought in 2011, but legal wrangling and sufficiency hearings delayed the trial’s formal start until December 2015.

The former premier, who was arrested in Brazil in December 2012 and later extradited to the TCI, was found guilty in relation to land on West Caicos.

According to the charge, between November 1, 2006 and May 1, 2008, he accepted inducements directly or indirectly from the Logwood Development Company and related and connected entities” by unlawful corrupt payments or other rewards in the form of cash, credit, entertainment and other advantages, whilst serving as a Minister of the Crown in the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands so that he would act in a way that was contrary to the ordinary rules of honesty and integrity expected of Ministers of the Crown.”

In the case of his brother, he was found guilty of concealing or disguising the proceeds of criminal conduct contrary.

The indictment states that between August 1, 2003 and the August 31, 2009, he “concealed or disguised the proceeds of criminal conduct knowing or having reasonable grounds for suspecting it to represent in whole or in part directly or indirectly the proceeds of criminal conduct committed by Michael Eugene Misick, with a view to avoiding the making or enforcement of a confiscation order or avoiding prosecution for unlawful conduct.”

Former cabinet minister Hanchell was found guilty of bribery in relation to land on West Caicos.

The charge states that between November 1, 2006 and May 1, 2008, he “accepted inducements directly or indirectly from the Logwood Development Company and related and connected entities …by unlawful corrupt payments or other rewards in the form of cash, credit, entertainment and other advantages, whilst serving as a Minister of the Crown in the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands so that he would act in a way that was contrary to the ordinary rules of honesty and integrity expected of Ministers of the Crown.”

Hanchell was also found guilty of another charge of bribery involving Mario Hoffman in relation to land on Salt Cay.

That charge states the former premier and Hanchell between January 2005 and January 30, 2009, “accepted inducements directly or indirectly from Mario Hoffman and/or related and connected entities, by unlawful corrupt payments or other rewards in the form of cash, credit, entertainment and other advantages, whilst serving as a Minister of the Crown in the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands so that he would act in a way that was contrary to the ordinary rules of honesty and integrity expected of Ministers of the Crown.”

Over the years, the cases were splintered into multiple proceedings due to plea agreements, the withdrawal or death of certain defendants, and judicial changes.

The most significant disruption came with the passing of Justice Paul Harrison in 2021, which led to Chief Justice Mabel Agyemang splitting the original case into two separate trials.

The first trial concluded in September 2023 with convictions for Floyd Hall and Clayton Greene on charges of bribery and money laundering, while two co-defendants were acquitted.

The current trial, with Misick, Hanchell, and Thomas Misick, commenced on December 2, 2024, and concluded its evidentiary stage on June 6, 2025.

Notably, the three defendants elected not to testify or call witnesses in their defence.

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