International fugitive David Nanes Shnitzer, known locally as David Banes is believed to have skipped bail - after he failed to show up at the San Pedro police station yesterday. That was one of the conditions of his Supreme Court bail which was granted four days ago. Justice Denis Hanomansingh - who did not see Banes as a flight risk - granted the bail on the condition that he surrender his travel documents and check in with island police twice weekly. Monday November 23rd was the date for his first check in with police, and to the surprise of no one - except possibly the judge - he did not appear as required. As for his travel documents - which he also had to surrender - well, right now, his passport is not even worth the paper it was printed on because that was cancelled 6 days ago. So, even as the judge was ordering that it be surrendered last Friday - it had already been cancelled, according to the minister's words in the government gazette because he was, quote, "registered by means of fraud, false representation…the concealment of material circumstance and by mistake."
Now that he has officially failed to live up to his bail requirements, and very likely skipped bail - an avalanche of criticism has come barreling down the mountain of outrage. First to strike was COLA which issued a release this morning saying, quote, "The David Schnitzer matter deserves full and thorough investigation." Today president Geovannie Brackett said they question the judge's decision:...
Geovannie Brackett, President - COLA
"We believe that the judgement within this case to have given this David Nanes bail, we questioned it because on so many levels; 1) we believe that this gentleman is a flight risk. The fact that he turned in his documents doesn't say much in our view. The reason why is because he has been found with so many other documents that have been found to be illegal. And so we believe that knowing that this gentleman is a fugitive and wanted and that he was caught by US Marshalls, that when the DPP's office was requesting for an adjournment, we would have hope that they've have gotten adjournment and given time to bring whatever the US or Mexican authorities to bring evidence forward. It also for us 
on the lay-man terms, there was two women caught stealing underwear and they were denied bail and I believe that these women had children and a family as well. I believe there was much moral grounds to give them bail and I think they may not have even a passport to hand in. I think that we have to question judgements across the board and how it is being distributed and I think on a larger scale it has an international black eye on it as well. I think that this could leave a very bad mark on our credibility - on our justice system internationally. I don't want to imagine the US really wanting to capture somebody or have somebody that they captured, put in the government authorities hands and then you can't find them after that. I don't think that sits well in Washington."
And senior sources have told us that both the US and Mexican Embassies are taking a long, hard look at those case. They had cooperated to get Banes arrested on San Pedro - where US Marshalls in cooperation with Island police found Banes having a drink at Pirate's Bar on the north side of the island. As for the Mexicans - they have a 2011 warrant for his arrest and they were waiting for the paperwork to come thought so that they could transfer him as a prisoner. He is accused of defrauding Mexican investors of 42 million dollars.
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