A court in the Turks and Caicos Islands has sentenced former Premier Michael Misick to four years and 26 days in prison after he was convicted in a landmark corruption case. Misick was found guilty in early February on three counts of bribery, following a lengthy legal process that began with his arrest in Brazil in December 2012 after his application for political asylum was rejected.
Misick was accused of corruption, misusing public money, and profiting from the sale of government-owned land to developers. He has maintained that all charges against him were politically motivated. The former premier stepped down in 2009 after Britain temporarily took control of the territory’s government and suspended its constitution amid allegations of widespread corruption. Direct rule ended in November 2012 with new elections.
In the same case, former Cabinet minister McAllister Hanchell was sentenced to three years, and attorney Thomas Misick, the former premier’s brother, received a four-year term. All three were taken into custody and are expected to appeal their sentences.
