You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time. Abraham Lincoln

Triumph for Seychelles as unfounded lawsuit is withdrawn.

The Government of Seychelles has been notified that the action filed against the Republic of Seychelles by Stephen Scholes, Terence Stewart, and associates, in the District Court of New York, was withdrawn by the plaintiffs on April 13.

Speaking on behalf of the government of Seychelles, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jean-Paul Adam, hailed the withdrawal of the case.

He described it as a victory for the fight against money laundering in Seychelles and around the world.

“When small countries act decisively and in accordance with the law, the vested interests would always try to tarnish those countries’ image and good standing,” he said.

“The withdrawal of this case has indicated the weakness of the suit filed and is a triumph for the Seychelles justice system and the fight against money laundering. It reinforces our resolve to fight against money laundering.”

The action, lodged in May 2010, made a number of false and unfounded allegations against the Republic of Seychelles including allegations of financial piracy, kidnapping and theft. 

The withdrawal occurred earlier this month when the plaintiffs voluntarily sought the dismissal of their case in the face of a robust response by the Seychelles.

Both Mr Scholes and Mr Stewart, two UK nationals, had previously appeared before the Seychelles Supreme Court on a number of criminal charges pertaining to an attempted multi-million dollar fraud of Barclay’s Bank in 2009.
They pleaded guilty before the Supreme Court and the Court convicted and fined them as per law.

In the subsequent case filed in the USA, the petitioners not only made false allegations against the Government of Seychelles, but also impugned maliciously the integrity and professionalism of the law enforcement agencies, FIU, international banks operating in Seychelles, the Judiciary, and a number of well known lawyers in the country.
In its submission to the New York Court, the Government of Seychelles rejected these allegations as unfounded, baseless and defamatory. 

This vigorous defence led to the eventual withdrawal of the case, vindicating the government’s strong stand on financial crimes.
Between May 2010 and April 2011, this case had been widely publicised internationally by the plaintiffs in an attempt to intimidate the Government of Seychelles.

Mr Adam has said that the Government of Seychelles deplores the publicising of such frivolous court actions with malicious intentions by certain newspapers and media, adding that the media should act responsibly in cases involving unproven allegations against the integrity of law enforcement agencies and judiciary.

He also added that the government is determined that future actions in Seychelles, the US or anywhere else will be vigorously opposed so that Seychelles society can be protected against financial crime.

“The Seychelles government re-affirms its commitment towards fulfilling its responsibilities in the fight against transnational financial crimes, money-laundering and the financing of other criminal activities,” Mr Adam said.

The minister said that, in successfully contesting this action in New York, the Government of Seychelles would like to acknowledge the support offered by a range of international partners including, among others, its legal representatives in New York, Hughes, Hubbard & Reed LLP, and the Government of the United States.