Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

Turks and Caicos, July 14, 2025 – Former Deputy Premier Floyd Basil Hall and former House Speaker Clayton Stanfield Greene will not serve jail time, following a ruling by the Turks and Caicos Islands Court of Appeal on Thursday, July 10.

The court, led by President Alice Yorke-Soo Hon, with Justices Bernard Turner and Michael Hylton, upheld their 2023 convictions—Hall for bribery, Greene for money laundering—but ruled that both men’s sentences would be suspended for two years. That means unless they breach any terms of the suspension, neither will spend time behind bars.

Hall was originally sentenced to one year in prison and Greene to six months, following a lengthy corruption trial that concluded in October 2023. At the time, Chief Justice Mabel Agyemang described their punishments as “drastically reduced” in light of mitigating factors, including Hall’s deteriorating health and the long delays in prosecution.

While the convictions remain on record, the appeals against sentencing were allowed. The court also confirmed that US $1.1 million plus interest is to be confiscated from Hall, and US $413,369 plus interest from Greene. However, the court ruled that Greene’s confiscation order should be reduced if the amount has already been recovered from Hall, noting he did not profit from the crime.

The outcome closes a chapter in the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT) trials, which have spanned more than a decade and resulted in rare convictions of high-ranking officials. In sentencing last year, the Chief Justice had firmly rejected initial arguments for suspended sentences, stressing the seriousness of corruption in public office.

With this latest ruling, the saga for Hall and Greene ends without incarceration, marking a result that some may see as anticlimactic, given the scope and significance of the original trial.

Attention now turns to the case of Michael Misick and McAllister Hanchell, whose trial has concluded and awaits a verdict expected in October.

***MEDIA RELEASE***

Turks and Caicos, 13th June 2025 – The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RT&CIPF) confirms that a guilty verdict was delivered yesterday (12th June) in the firearm-related case involving SHAQUAZE FORBES of Over Back, Grand Turk.

Forbes, aged 22, was found guilty of:

• One Count Possession of Firearm with Intent to Endanger Life
• One Count Discharging a Firearm

His co-accused, JERREAL MISSICK, also aged 22 and from Over Back, was found not guilty following the judge’s directions to the jury.

Forbes has been remanded in custody at H.M. Prison, Home of the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, and will be sentenced on 18th July, 2025.

On 13th February 2024, reports of a firearm discharge were made to the police. Following a thorough investigation and subsequent consultation with the Director of Public Prosecution’s Office, both individuals were formally charged.

The RT&CIPF is requesting the public to notify the nearest police station, contact 911, the Serious Crime Unit at 231-1842, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477, and provide any information anonymously regarding illegal activity.

Additionally, individuals are encouraged to download the Crime Stoppers P3 app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and share information anonymously.

Wilkie Arthur | Eagle Legal News

PROVIDENCIALES, TCI — A 24-year-old Border Force and Immigration Officer, Phillip Smith Jr., has been arrested and formally charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

Smith was granted police bail and is scheduled to appear in court on August 5, 2025.

Also charged in connection with the incident is 22-year-old Dequeha Been, who faces the same charge of unlawful possession of marijuana. Been was likewise granted bail and will appear in court on the same date.

The investigation remains ongoing.