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Orlando Vera Fights For Freedom
Thu, October 12, 2017
Three months ago, we told you about the very bad luck that Orlando Vera was having in the Supreme Court. He's the ballistics expert who had a mighty fall from grace. He went from the Deputy Director of the National Forensic Science Service to incarcerated convict, after he was found guilty of abetment to pervert the course of justice.

He went to the Supreme Court for bail pending an appeal, and was denied 3 times. He is convinced that the former Chief Magistrate, Ann Marie Smith, wrongfully convicted him of offering to accept a bribe for businessman Michael Modiri so that he, could disappear evidence that police may have used against Modiri in a firearms case.

Vera even tried to get Justice Herbert Lord to recuse himself from as the judge who would hear his appeal. That's after those 3 failed bail applications, and that was also denied.

So, after spending 4 months of his 2-year sentence at the Prison, Justice Lord heard his appeal this week. It started on Tuesday, and ended today with his attorney, Anthony Sylvestre presenting 6 grounds of appeal.

The main ground focuses on trying to convince the judge to disqualify a key piece of evidence used against him in the case. That's the recording of a conversation which outlines Vera offering to take the bribe from Modiri to get rid of evidence.

The appeal lasted for 2 and a half days in which the judge carefully listened to the grounds of appeal from Vera's attorney, and the response from DPP Cheryl-Lynn Vidal. After it ended today, we spoke with Anthony Sylvestre about the appeal, and here's what he told us:

Anthony Syvestre - Attorney for the Appellant
"We were arguing six grounds on behalf of Mr. Vera, 5 of the grounds were in relation to why his conviction ought not to stand, and the sixth ground was in relation to sentencing. We finally finished this morning. It was a very tedious exercise but what we hope from the outcome of all of this is that there will be some guidance in relation to how other potential future cases will be dealt with. Two things emerged in argument, one in relation to the fact that this is the first time somebody was charged under the amendment to the criminal code, in the relation to the offense of the pervert of the course of justice."

"Then there is always the issue that contained a lot of our time was the issue in relation to whether CD recording, and the transcript ought to have been admitted into evidence under the provisions of the electronic evidence act. Of course, the prosecution had a different opinion, and our position was that that law, it changed the rules of admissibility in relation to how you're supposed to have certain documents be proven to be authentic, and those were things which we pointed out to the court would not have been established. The result of that is that if you take away the CD, and you take away the transcript, there may not be any evidence on which the court could then have active. And so, that is a substantial point, and an important point."

"Much may have been said, or much is being said outside of the court room, but our focus is what is taking place inside these walls. Whatever may or may not be people's perception, that ought not to color how a court conducts matters. And so, our focus, my focus has been and will continue to be addressing the law, and in that regard, that is how I advance my various cases for clients."

The judge has reserved judgement, which will be handed down at a date to be announced.

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