A motion by businessman Steve Ferguson, former government minister Brian Kuei Tung and US businessman Raul Gutierrez Jr for a new trial following the successful outcome of T&T’s Piarco civil asset forfeiture case has been denied by a judge in the Miami-Dade Circuit court.
This was revealed last evening by Local Government Minister Faris Al Rawi, T&T’s corporate representative in the case.
The State is expected to receive a final award of almost $1 billion.
According to Al-Rawi’s release:
On March 29th, a jury comprising six residents of Miami-Dade County, Florida, found Ferguson liable for multiple claims arising from fraud perpetrated in connection with redevelopment of Piarco International Airport in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The court had earlier found that Kuei Tung and Gutierrez Jr., former principal of Calmaquip Engineering Corporation, the firm that provided specialized equipment at the airport, were liable. Calmaquip was formerly headquartered in Miami.
On April 17, after calculation of interest and set off to be made on account of payments being made to T&T as a result of previous orders and settlements, the State filed for entry of final judgment pursuant to the jury verdict in total judgment amount of US$131,403,245.64
However, on April 13, Ferguson, Kuei Tung and Gutierrez Jr, filed motions for judgment in accordance with motion for directed verdict and for a new trial. The matter was heard yesterday by Justice Reemberto Diaz who denied the motions, according to Al Rawi’s statement .
“Trinidad and Tobago’s motion for final judgment remains pending. Judge Diaz has scheduled that motion for hearing in two weeks on Friday, May 12, 2023, and he has instructed defendants to submit their own version of a final judgment no later than Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 5 pm.
“The State expects that this will be the final hearing in the trial court, ahead of any appeal by defendants which will be bound by strict timelines and with strict conditions. The state is entitled to the payment of significant costs incurred in the pursuit of this matter since 2004 and is in pursuit of the same for the Trinidad and Tobago people,” the statement added.
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