Dr Jephthah Ford sentenced to six months in prison on corruption conviction

Medical doctor Jephthah Ford has been sentenced six months in prison on each of two counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The sentences are to run at the same time.

However, Ford's attorney Bert Samuels has indicated that his client will be appealing.

Parish Judge Simone Wolf Reece has granted bail pending the outcome of the appeal.

Earlier, Samuels asked a judge not to impose a prison sentence on his client.

Instead, Samuels recommended that a fine be imposed.

In August, Ford was convicted on two counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Prosecutor Joel Brown led evidence that Ford offered police investigators millions of dollars to free two Surinamese men who were held with US$533,000 or approximately J$55 million during a police operation along Half Way Tree Road, in St Andrew in July 2014.

The police investigator testified during the trial that he met with Ford at his St Andrew offices and secretly recorded the meeting.

He said it was during that meeting the well-known medical doctor offered him a percentage of the money confiscated to free the men.

Samuels acknowledged that it was a serious offence, but cautioned that it involved no violence and resulted in no monetary value to Ford.

He said Ford's action was out of a desire to assist, but conceded that this was a wrong intervention.

"He has allowed his good intention to cloud his better judgement," Samuels said.

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