Viewers may remember Orlando Vera. He's the police department's Firearms Examiner who was charged last year August with the offence known as "abetment of the crime of perverting the course of justice." What that means is that basically he allegedly offered to take money - to make a criminal charge disappear in court.
And it's no minor case in which he allegedly did this: it's the case of Michael Modiri, the Franks Eddy neighbour of the American Tour Operator Bradley Paumen.
Paumen and 3 others have been charged with perverting the course of justice, for allegedly trying to plant a gun on Modiri, so that he could be sent to jail. Modiri beat that charge, but he said that between June and 1 and July 31, Vera offered to tamper with evidences so against him so that he could be acquitted.
Well, that case has been on trial in before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith, who has heard evidence that Vera allegedly made the offer twice.
On the first occasion, which Modiri didn't record, Modiri claims that Vera offered to manipulate the firearm so it wouldn't fire. Alternatively, he reportedly offered to intentionally misplace some of the ammunition, or to manipulate the firearm so that it wouldn't work, forcing the case to be thrown out.
Modiri reported that there was a second conversation, which he did record. Modiri told the court that Vera visited his Belmopan house where they had a discussion about helping him get off the case. Modiri said that in this conversation, Vera told him that there is a police prosecutor who is also willing to help make the case go away. Again, the offer was to manipulate the silencer for the gun, so that it would not work.
Chief Magistrate Smith heard submissions from both DPP Cheryl-Lynn Vidal and Vera's attorney, Anthony Sylvestre, as to whether or not the case has been proven against the firearms expert. The Chief Magistrate will hand down a verdict in a week.
|
