By Roy Sanford, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE CASE against Esmie Jones was stalled in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrates Court yesterday after it was revealed that her lawyer Delford Morgan was engaged in another trial in the Hanover Circuit Court.
"I received a letter from Mr. Morgan informing me that he is engaged in a rape case in the Hanover Circuit Court," the prosecution led by Clerk of Court, Sonia Wong-Small said. "He apologised for his absence and he is asking for an early date in December for the continuation of the trial."
The revelation stalled the case for the day, although one witness for the prosecution was present to testify against Jones.
"The prosecution is ready to continue," Mrs. Wong-Small told Resident Magistrate Valrie Stephens, who presided over the matter. "However at this point we cannot continue."
In the absence of Morgan, both the prosecution and Miss Stephens agreed on December 2 for the continuation of the trial. "Make sure you see your lawyer and tell him the matter is set for December 2," Miss Stephens told Jones.
Yesterday's delay is the latest to have affected the case from the very beginning. The 65-year-old former schoolteacher is facing charges of fraudulent conversion, conspiracy to defraud and breaches of the Financial Institutions Act. She was charged after her pyramid scheme, Speedy Cash, which had reportedly collected more than $100 million from depositors, collapsed in May 2001.
Since her arrest, Jones has appeared in court more than 20 times. She also spent about four months in jail until late September, when she finally accepted the $1 million bail offered to her. During her stint in jail, she lost the services of two attorneys.
The trial started on September 23, 2002, some 16 months after Jones was arrested, when one of her former depositors Pansy Pringle testified against her. Pringle testified that on February 16, 2001, she deposited $30,000 in cash into the scheme and despite repeated attempts, she has not been able to recover any of her money.
Speedy Cash was one of several pyramid schemes that exploded across Western Jamaica in late 2000 and early 2001, promising depositors quick cash. All ended late last year after they reportedly ran out of cash.
