SAVANNA-LA-MAR, (Westmoreland), Jamaica – Former acting Resident Magistrate Dionne Meyler – Reid and her three co-accused were freed of charges under the Law Reform Fraudulent Transaction (Special Provisions Act 2013) in the Savanna-la-Mar RM Court on Friday last.

They were acquitted following a directive by Director of Public Prosecutor (DPP) Paula Llewelyn.

Meyler-Reid, who is an attorney – at – law was charged jointly with Toni-Ann Turner, a law student; Radcliffe Campbell and Tedisha Blair. They were arrested by members of the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption (MOCA) Task Force on September 2, 2013 after Meyer-Reid’s office in Savanna-la-Mar was searched and an illegal firearm and ammunition allegedly found by the police.

The police also claimed that they found several documents which are believed to be used in the lottery scam.

The four accused were subsequently exonerated of the illegal possession of firearm charge in March 2014 at the Western Regional Gun Court.

Consequently, the legal defence team of the four accused; Michael Erskine, Velma Hylton and Lambert Brown, wrote to the DPP on three occasions requesting that they be also absolved of lottery scam charges.

The DPP subsequently conceded to the request of the defence team and in a letter to the Clerk of Court dated January 20, 2015, directed that no evidence should be offered on all counts against Meyler – Reid and the others in respect of the matter of breaches of the Law Reform Fraudulent Transaction (Special Provisions Act 2013).

The DPP’s letter stated that in arriving at the decision “we took into consideration the fact that the Crown would be relying on the same evidence in this case as was presented in the illegal possession of firearm case in which the accused were acquitted”.

“The credibility of the Crown’s case would therefore not be of the required standard to mount a viable prosecution,” a portion of the letter stated.

The case was set for a March 29 hearing but was brought forward to Friday, January 30 in view of the directive from the DPP.>

HORACE HINES