Case for confiscation of assets of ‘Que Pasa’ begins at High Court

Despite doing a 10-year prison sentence for money laundering, the legal troubles of Antonio “Que Pasa” Gellizeau are not yet over.

Gellizeau, also known as “Tony” was released from prison earlier this month.

But beginning today at the High Court, he will have to convince the court that EC$10 million in assets he is said to own, are not the proceeds of criminal activity.

On March 9, 2012, at the Serious Offences Court, Gellizeau was convicted for concealing on the yacht “Jotobin” on April 5, 2008, at Calliaqua, US$1,733,463 (EC$4,628,346) and for bringing the money into St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) on the yacht. On July 22, 2013 he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour.

In June 2008, several of Gellizeau’s assets were frozen by order of the court. The assets include bank accounts, Flexible Premium Annuities with CLICO and vehicles which were registered to him, his family members and associates. Assets belonging to Gellizeau and his relatives were also frozen in Trinidad and St Lucia.

The case against Gellizeau will be presented by the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) while the defendant will be represented by lawyer Samantha Robertson.

As far back as 2014, it had been said that Gellizeau’s assets were being pursued and that his EC$1.6 million home in Pembroke was to be made into a government polyclinic.

However, Mikhail Charles, one of his lawyers back then dispelled the rumours.

Charles had said, “From my understanding of the law, the confiscation proceeding was stayed pending the result of the impending appeal. The appeal matter must be completed, and the confiscation must be completed as well, under the old 2001 Act; they cannot proceed under the 2013 Act.”

On April 7, 2017, the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal in Grenada, upheld Gellizeau’s conviction.

The Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold Gellizeau’s conviction means that the confiscation application can now move forward.