WESTERN BUREAU — Trial proceedings against an Italian and Venezuelan, businessmen who were found with more than US$400,000 on their way out of the island last month, will continue today in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate’s Court.

Italian, Giovanni Infante and Venezuelan, Henry Revas, were charged with unlawful possession of property after they were stopped at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay on March 21. The men, who were heading for Curacao, were apprehended less than 48 hours after they had arrived in the island.

The investigating officer, Corporal Teeshan Gordon, testified Monday that he stopped the men after noticing unusual bulges in their thigh regions. He told the court that as he approached them at the walk-through security machine, they began to act suspiciously, using their bags to conceal the bulges.

On seeing their actions the officer said he asked the men whether they had any contraband and Revas said no. He later asked Revas to translate for Infante, when he realised the Venezuelan could not speak English.

Corporal Gordon said he subsequently conducted a search of the two and 24 packets of US$50, US$20 and US$10 notes totalling US$221,980 were found inside the tights Infante wore beneath his pants. Revas was found with 21 packets of US$100, US$50, and US$20 notes totalling US$200,500 inside the tights he wore beneath his pants.

When asked where they had obtained the money the officer said the men told him that a man had taken it to their hotel room. They later said they had come to the island to collect the money on behalf of a friend who had sold a Miami house to a Jamaican. But they were unable to provide the names of either the buyer or seller of the house.

The men’s attorney, Sean Reynolds, later told the police corporal that the money had been given in payment for a house at Cove District in Hanover. The house, Reynolds said, was owned by a woman who lives in New York but works as a nurse in Venezuela.

The corporal testified that checks carried out by him on Saturday, March 23 revealed that story was false. And he said when he told the men this, Revas’ reply was that he was not the one who had told him the story and that he would tell “the real story” when his right lawyer got there.

It was on that day that they were formally charged.

In court on Monday, Reynolds, who is co-defending the men with attorney George Thomas, said the policeman had no reasonable cause to suspect his clients at the airport. He based his argument on the 24-hour time lapse before they were charged.

Reynolds also said the policeman was unsure of what charge to bring against the men since he had no reasonable cause to suspect them of any wrongdoing. He based this argument on the changing of the original wording of the March 23 charge.

The men were given extended bail in the sum of $250,000 until today.