TIGblogs - Dennis Dames

By ALISON LOWE:
Tribune Staff Reporter -
alowe@tribunemedia.net:

John Travolta's attorney has asked Bahamian authorities to forward all of the evidence from the attempted extortion trial of Pleasant Bridgewater and Tarino Lightbourne to prosecutors in the United States who will see if the case could be retried there.

Michael Ossi, who also testified as a witness in the trial, for which a mistrial verdict was delivered on Wednesday evening, told The Tribune that Bahamian authorities have agreed to preserve all of the relevant evidence and the question of where the re-trial will occur is "in the hands of Bahamian and US prosecutors."

A decision could be made within weeks, he suggested.

A mistrial verdict was delivered and a retrial ordered by Senior Justice Anita Allen in the trial of Ms Bridgewater and Mr Lightboure on Wednesday after she announced that she was "very concerned in the interests of justice" following an announcement at the PLP convention by MP Picewell Forbes that Ms Bridgewater had been acquitted.

The exclamation by South Andros representative, Mr Forbes, came before the jury had returned its verdict on the five-week long trial. Justice Allen said the turn of events gave the impression that there had been a communication from the jury room.

The PLP issued an "unqualified apology" for the statement made by Mr Forbes, noting that it was "incorrect" and "not intended to interfere with the administration of justice."

That evening Mr Ossi welcomed the mistrial verdict given the circumstances and noted that he and the Travoltas are committed to seeing a retrial through.

Yesterday, Mr Ossi said: "Jeopardy has not been attached, so you can try the case again. We want the evidence preserved for the next trial, whether it be in The Bahamas or U.S."

Mr Ossi suggested that because one of the alleged extortion phone calls was made from The Bahamas to the US that Florida could have jurisdiction over the matter. He said he has also run the evidence past "an expert" who has informed him that there is a good basis for the trial to take place in the U.S.

Nonetheless, he emphasised that ultimately he and his client have no preference over where the a retrial is held, so long as it is a "fair trial with an impartial jury."

"I am just trying to protect the interests of Mr Travolta," said the attorney. "We want to preserve our options."

If the trial were to take place in Florida, defendants, Ms Bridgewater and Mr Lightbourne, would have to be extradited to the US if they did not go voluntarily.

Yesterday, lawyer for Ms Bridgewater, Murio Ducille, called the suggestion that the U.S. could host the trial "nonsense and stupidness."

Revealing that he had "heard as a rumour" that steps had been taken by Mr Ossi to see whether the trial could take place abroad, Mr Ducille denied that there would be any basis for this to happen.

"Certainly my client didn't make any calls (to the U.S.). This is the point i've made throughout -- no calls emanated from them," he said.

October 24, 2009

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