A court in the Turks and Caicos Islands has sentenced former Premier Michael Misick to four years and 26 days in prison, concluding a prolonged corruption case. In February, Misick was convicted on three counts of bribery. He was originally arrested in Brazil in December 2012 after his request for political asylum there was denied, facing accusations of corruption, misappropriation of public funds, and personally profiting from the sale of government land to developers. Misick has maintained that all charges against him were politically motivated.
Two other defendants were sentenced in the same proceeding. Former Cabinet minister McAllister Hanchell received a three-year sentence, and Thomas Misick, the former premier's brother and a practicing attorney, was sentenced to four years. All three were taken into custody and are expected to appeal.
Michael Misick left office in 2009 shortly after Britain assumed direct control of the territory and suspended its constitution in response to widespread corruption allegations. Direct rule ended in November 2012, when fresh elections were held.
Belgian prosecutors have confirmed to French media that UK money transfer company Wise is under investigation on suspicion that criminals used its accounts to launder money. The inquiry concerns Wise's European operations and does not extend to its UK business. Prosecutors told the AFP news agency that the investigation is close to completion.
The confirmation followed reporting by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, which stated that Wise's platforms were suspected of involvement in roughly 500 million euros (approximately 432 million pounds) in suspicious transactions spanning 30 European countries. Wise acknowledged it is cooperating with the Brussels prosecutor's office but said no specific findings had been shared with the company to date.
Shares in Wise, which trades on both the London and US stock markets, dropped 17.5% following the news.