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James Forbes freed of corruption charge

Published:Friday | February 26, 2021 | 9:56 AM

The Court of Appeal has tossed out the corruption-related conviction of former senior cop James Forbes.

The Appeal Court ordered, too, that the $800,000 fine paid by Forbes, a former senior superintendent, be returned to him “forthwith”.

The ruling was handed down during a virtual sitting of the court this morning.

Forbes was found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice by then Senior Resident Magistrate Stephanie Jackson-Haisley in 2014 after a trial in the then Corporate Criminal Court.

The charge stemmed from a meeting he admitted facilitating between businessman Bruce Bicknell and two police sergeants at his St Andrew offices.

The meeting was held four days after the two policemen arrested Bicknell for allegedly offering them a $2,000 bribe during a traffic stop in east Kingston in April 2012.

Prosecutors charged that during the meeting, an agreement was reached to have the case against Bicknell - who was on bail - disposed of before it came before the court.

But Forbes, who was head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force's Community Safety and Security Branch at the time, insisted, through his attorneys, that no agreement was reached at the meeting and that he was not aware, at the time, that Bicknell had been formally charged.

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