By Elesha George (Antigua Observer) The long-running passport forgery case against suspended Superintendent of Police Ray John and former passport office employee Shakeema Charles has been adjourned once again. A decision on a no-case submission brought forward by the defence lawyers is now expected on January 22.
The latest adjournment occurred on Monday, when Magistrate Conliffe Clarke was absent due to illness. Acting Chief Magistrate Dexter Wason stepped in but deferred the no-case submission until Wednesday.
John and Charles are accused of conspiring with Vincentian resident Lonzel Jones and others to forge bio pages for Antigua and Barbuda passports using stolen Multi-Layered Infilling Sheets (MLIS).
The case was thrown out of the High Court in January 2024 after defence attorneys Hugh Marshall Jr and Michael Archibald challenged the jurisdiction of the charges. They argued that the trial should have been heard in front of a jury and other charges were small matters that should have been tried in the Magistrates Court. As a result, the charges were dismissed but the Director of Public Prosecution sought a retrial.
