Watson accuses prosecutor of hidden conflict
(CNS): Canover Watson has filed a formal complaint against the crown lawyer who was part of the team that prosecuted him and Bruce Blake in the CONCACAF football fraud case. Watson, a former businessman, was convicted in 2022 and jailed last year for a long list of offences. But he claims the case was politically motivated and Toyin Salako was conflicted. While she was prosecuting him, she was also leading Cayman’s efforts to get off the FATF grey list, a fact she didn’t disclose at the time of trial or sentencing.
Writing on Watson’s behalf, his legal team claimed that Salako, a public prosecutor, had a dual role at the time of Watson’s trial: as prosecuting crown counsel and at the centre of the Cayman Islands’ desperate efforts to get off the infamous FATF grey list. Watson argued that officials here considered a successful prosecution against him and a lengthy jail term to be fundamental to persuading the FATF that this jurisdiction is actively prosecuting and appropriately sanctioning money laundering offences.
“In October 2022, FATF found the Cayman Islands significantly behind on compliance, heightening political pressure to impose ‘dissuasive and effective sanctions’,” the complaint states, pointing out that at this “pivotal moment”, Salako was arguing for a lengthy sentence, clearly influenced by her extraneous interest in demonstrating the Cayman Islands’ compliance with FATF’s requirements, particularly regarding money laundering prosecutions.
But Watson said Salako never declared this second role she was playing, even at the point of sentencing.
Watson still maintains his innocence in the case, where no official complaint was ever made by CONCACAF, which the crown said was defrauded to the tune of over $1.5 million. He believes that he was deliberately targeted due to Cayman’s pressing need to offer up at least one case that could help it get past a long-standing problem of failing to successfully prosecute transnational corruption and financial crime or properly sanction individuals in the cases it does take on.
In official letter of complaint, which has been sent to the governor’s office, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Bar Standards Board of England and Wales, as well as numerous local senior officials, Watson raises serious ethical concerns about Salako’s conflict of interest, which could undermine public confidence in the judicial process.
Watson said Salako’s “active advocacy for a severe sentence, without disclosing her FATF-related objectives, violated principles of impartiality and transparency critical to fair trials”. He contended that the case against him was flawed because the lawyer was tasked with prosecuting him to the fullest extent while simultaneously needing to present his conviction as proof of Cayman’s compliance with FATF standards.
Watson said his prosecution was less about justice and more about demonstrating Cayman’s commitment to FATF compliance at a critical time, leveraging his case to bolster the jurisdiction’s standing and secure removal from the grey list.
CNS reached out to Salako for comment, and she referred us to the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal’s recent ruling in this case. In it, the court cut Watson’s sentence from eight to seven years but upheld his conviction and effectively dismissed the arguments about Salako that had formed a major part of the appeal.
Watson’s legal team raised concerns that their client had been sacrificed for the sake of Cayman’s removal from the grey list and the government had publicly admitted that the case was the lynchpin in that goal. The conflict had formed the first ground of his appeal.
However, the higher court did not consider the allegation sufficient to render the conviction unsafe. In their ruling, the panel said that the charges against Watson and Blake had been settled before Salako took over as junior counsel and after a first trial was terminated due to problems with disclosure.
The senior judges said that there “were clear reasons to prosecute Canover Watson for serious dishonesty, as any objective review of the evidence makes plain. There was a clear case for him to answer.” In the ruling delivered last month, they went on to say that there was a strong public interest in prosecuting him.
“There is nothing to suggest that the decision to prosecute was taken for political reasons or as a result of other influence or pressure,” the ruling states. They also found that the case did not depend upon Salako as she had worked with independent leading counsel from London, who was involved from its outset.
“The aim of assisting the Cayman Islands to achieve FATF compliance was not one which gave rise to a conflict of interest. It was a laudatory aim. The proper investigation and prosecution of money laundering and financial crime in the Cayman Islands is in the interests of justice. To seek to advance such an aim is in the interests of justice,” the court found, adding that disclosure on Salako’s part was not required.
However, Watson has argued that the appeal court’s dismissal of his claims of political pressure failed to examine whether compliance-related motivations had influenced prosecutorial decision-making.
“The characterisation of Ms Salako’s FATF role as ‘laudatory’ ignored its impact on her prosecutorial independence. Her active advocacy for a severe sentence, without disclosing her FATF-related objectives, violated principles of impartiality and transparency critical to fair trials,” Watson has said.
According to the complaint, Watson is seeking an investigation into Salako and what he contends is misconduct. He said her actions erode public trust in prosecutorial independence and jeopardise the credibility of the legal system.
“To restore public confidence and prevent further erosion of trust, a thorough investigation into Ms Salako’s conduct is imperative,” Watson has said. “Only through accountability and adherence to ethical standards can the integrity of the justice system be safeguarded.”
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We need a fundamental overhaul of the entire legal aid system.
The current legal aid practice of endlessly funding criminals and their bottom feeding mouthpieces to bring an endless succession of million dollar appeals based on more and more frivolous arguments is an abuse pure and simple.
At most, these criminals should be allowed one appeal in which they put forward every meritorious argument they have and that is the end of it. Further, attorneys who put forward meritless appeals should be denied their fees and obliged to pay all costs relating to the appeal.
Let that privileged little sh!the rot in hell.
CNS. Please stop referring to Watson as a “former businessman”.
He was never a “businessman”. Nothing more than a fraudulent conman.
Elementary my dear.
I actually agree with Canover. They were looking for convictions to demonstrate that our anti-money laundering regime works and conforms to the global standards and that we catch criminals and punish them. That is actually a matter of public record. And yes I am sure Canover was pursued on that basis –ie to get a conviction. What is a different matter is whether any of the evidence against hi was fabricated, doctored etc. It seems the court has twice now said that he was proven guilty and the evidence against him is without question. It would therefore be difficult to overturn his conviction based on the prosecutors dual role. Yes she was motivated to fry his behind, but did she commit any offences or break any rules in securing the conviction ?
He is a con artist that defrauded the people (eps kids) of the Cayman Islands, not just CIFA. He was found guilty on the evidence that described the layering of his crime in detail, with intention to defraud. It was also good timing on the FATF demonstration of competence. The timing of trial doesn’t change what he was found to have done.
This man does not have one ounce of shame or remorse. He has been a crook from day one. He once sent a complete stranger to one of my job sites who said “Canover Watson said you must sign this letter saying I am working on your site”. Needless to say I told that gentleman and also told him to advise Canover which part of my body to kiss.
The only crime in this scenario, apart from those committed by Watson, is that Watson and his happy band of trough feeding lawyers are wasting millions of dollars of tax payer money on these frivolous appeals…. money that could be better spent on the real problems in Cayman.
Maybe JuJu can issue him a pardon on her way out the door.
Let me decide whether to set him free or not…
NAAH…
Lock him up and throw away the key…
Canover is asking for VAR of the case, and suggests that Jeff Webb and Jack Warner be 2 of the 3 judges on the review panel.
Free Mr. Watson now! Jon-Jon, please use your powers to free him.
LMFAO
I can picture it – a moon lit escape on a donkey organized by an ass.
John John currently looking for the next excavator to fight with, tub of vasaline in hand
Justice was seen to be done in this case! Wish that was true of many other failed prosecutions!
Do not let your dislike for Watson deter you from holding our judiciary branch accountable. With the DDPs track record, and the rampant corruption within CIG as a whole, accountability for wrong doings should not be unilateral. As it seems to be now, rules for thee and separate ones for me!
How much did race play in the efforts to convict him?
None.
Well done @10.107 am. It really is the easiest card to play isn’t it?
Why is Canover Watson the only person to have been convicted with a lengthy jail sentence in the Cayman Islands?
Nothing world class about Franz’s civil service including Bulgin’s DPP that much we can all agree on!
Convicted fraudster complains after Court of Appeal dismisses his silly arguments. Shocker.
He’s not wrong every serious case is politically motivated.
How else can we describe the inconsistencies and efforts or lack thereof to prosecute other examples of money laundering and financial crimes in the Caymans?
One day he’ll have at least a road named after him.
Watson might be convicted but there may be merit to his allegations given the games and lack of transparency that occurs within the civil service and AG’s chambers or legal dept. Legal is a mess with multiple examples of questionable decisions and poor judgement. This is consistently demonstrated and will lead to multiple lawsuits and formal complaints.
AG’s Chambers does not prosecute … that’s ODPP
Yeah, you know me!
Doesn’t that office fall under the AG? It’s supposed to be independent but is it really ? Especially when there are “opportunities” available to you if you “do a good job”?
Details, details!