Former British Virgin Islands premier Andrew Fahie has filed an appeal challenging his February 2024 U.S. conviction on drug and money laundering charges, arguing that the government’s sting operation involved a substance “that would never test positive” for cocaine and that critical information about the credibility of a confidential informant was withheld from the court.
According to the Initial Brief of Appellant filed earlier this week with the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, Fahie is seeking to overturn his conviction on three primary grounds. He was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to import five kilogrammes or more of cocaine, conspiracy to engage in money laundering, attempted money laundering, and foreign travel in aid of racketeering.
Fahie’s attorneys argue that the trial court erred in refusing to dismiss the indictment, citing what they describe as “significant government misconduct.” The brief notes that a Mexican judicial officer previously found the same confidential informant used in Fahie’s case to have “credibility and reliability issues,” which led to the dismissal of corruption charges against Mexican officials. The appeal contends that U.S. authorities were aware of this adverse credibility finding but failed to disclose it during bond proceedings or at trial.
