THE GOVERNMENT-OWNED Financial Institutions Services Ltd. closed its case yesterday in the $2 billion lawsuit against Kingston businessman Donald Panton.
Mr. Panton, his wife Janet and their son Jeffrey are defendants in the suit which is being heard in the Supreme Court.
The Pantons have been without legal representation since Monday when Justice Donald McIntosh refused to grant an adjournment. Attorney-at-law Abe Dabdoub, who said he had been recently retained in the civil suit had applied for the adjournment.
The Pantons took the issue to the Court of Appeal on Wednesday but Justice Howard Cooke refused to grant them a stay of the proceedings. They are appealing Mr. Justice Cooke's ruling and the hearing is set for Monday in the Court of Appeal. Lawyers representing FIS had opposed the adjournment.
Attorney-at-law Raymond Clough is also a defendant in the suit and is being represented by attorney-at-law Gayle Nelson.
The law firm Chancellor and Co. had represented the Pantons but on January 27 the Court of Appeal granted an order for the firm to remove its name from the records.
The Pantons and other defendants were sued in 1995 arising from the collapse of the Blaise Financial entities in 1994. The Government had to pay millions of dollars to depositors and is now seeking to recover the money.
