A man accused of jury tampering in relation to a high-profile money-laundering case involving former Cayman Islands Football Association executives, has refuted the allegations, claiming instead that he was misunderstood.
Taking to the stand to give evidence in his defence on Monday, 15 July, Allen Kennedy Ebanks told the court he was a taxi driver and would often attend court and Parliament during his breaks or between picking up passengers.
“I’ve been going for a long time, just to observe … my memory takes me back to more than a decade,” said Ebanks, who added that he often frequented traffic court where he would learn about the law and the traffic-related rules and procedures – all while sitting in the public gallery at the back of the courtroom.
The case which Ebanks attended as a spectator, and for which he now finds himself as a defendant in the dock, is that of Canover Watson and Bruce Blake – who were convicted in relation to money laundering and false accounting.
“It is said that you approached [one of the jurors in that case] with the intention of attempting to sway the verdict. Is that true?” asked defence counsel Richard Barton, to which Ebanks replied, “No, sir”.
Ebanks faces a single charge of attempting to defeat the course of justice, which stems from a series of conversations he allegedly had with one of the jurors between 1 Sept. 2022 and 26 Oct. 2022.
During one of the conversations, Ebanks is said to have called the juror and said to him, “I know that jurors are not supposed to talk about the case with anyone, but I am just saying, what is your thoughts about the case?”
In another conversation he is said to have asked him whether they were likely to acquit or convict the defendants, allegedly trying to convince him to persuade the other jurors to return not guilty verdicts.
Ebanks disputes those descriptions.
When providing his version of events, Ebanks told the jury that he had been in an accident and received a settlement with which he wanted to purchase a used car to repair and resell.
He told the jury of three men and four women that the juror he approached was a person who he was familiar with as a mechanic, and so he wanted to have him review the car prior to purchasing it.
“I called him and asked him, ‘What’s the word, yes or no?'” Ebanks told the jury.
He added, “That was my way of finding out if he was having a good day and would be free to take a look at the car or if he was having a bad day and wouldn’t be able to view it.”
According to Ebanks, the juror told him he knew what he was doing was wrong and hung up the phone.
“When he said that, I told him I was sorry, and before I could explain, he hung up so I’m not sure if he heard me.”
Following that conversation, the juror is said to have written a note for the judge which eventually led to Ebanks being charged.
The trial continues and Ebanks remains on bail.
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