Magistrate Daly to preside over Winston Jordan’s trial

Magistrate Leron Daly was on Thursday assigned to preside over the case of former Minister of Finance Winston Jordan who is accused of misconduct in public office.

Jordan, who served as Finance Minister under the previous APNU+AFC government from 2015 to 2020, is on $3 million bail.

In April, Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan recused herself from presiding over the case citing that she knows some of the lawyers involved.  She then transferred the case to Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus.

However, Magistrate Isaacs-Marcus also recused herself from the case in the interest of justice.

The matter was then transferred again to the Chief Magistrate for reassignment on Thursday, June 2.

At Thursday’s hearing, the Chief Magistrate transferred the case to Magistrate Daly for August 29.

Previously, Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) prosecutor Tuanna Hardy had made an application for the case to be disposed of summarily in the Magistrates’ Court.

However, Jordan’s lawyers, Roysdale Forde S.C; Khemraj Ramjattan, Joseph Harmon, Dawn Holder-Cush, and Darren Wade objected.

The attorneys asked for the matter to be transferred to the High Court for a jury trial. Jordan’s attorneys are yet to lay over their submissions.

The charge against Jordan alleged that while being the concerned minister for the government-owned National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), between February 26 and July 31, 2020, he willfully misconducted himself by acting recklessly when he signed NICIL (Transfer of Property) Order, No. 50 of 2020.