Zane DeSilva, the ex-Minister of Social Development and Sports, conveyed to The Royal Gazette newspaper that the authorities have decided not to continue with the charges against him.
He further stated, “I have consistently asserted my absolute innocence regarding this accusation, and now that stance has been validated.”
“I am naturally thrilled that this chapter is now resolved, benefiting everyone involved, and I can proceed with my responsibilities of representing my constituents and addressing the challenges Bermuda is dealing with,” he commented.
In October of the previous year, Anthony Blakey, a music promoter based in the US, was indicted in absentia regarding his company, Savvy Entertainment. The company had obtained funds from the Bermuda Government five years ago for establishing a recording studio in Bermuda. Allegations are that Blakey failed to repay the loan and was charged with the offense of acquiring funds through deceptive means. Currently, he remains to be extradited from the United States to Bermuda to face the legal proceedings.
Zane DeSilva, aged 63 and a member of the Progressive Labour Party (PLP), representing Southampton East, was implicated in a charge related to being part of an arrangement that he either knew or suspected was aiding in the utilization or management of criminal assets on behalf of Anthony Blakey.
The prosecution alleged that the offense, constituting a violation of the Proceeds of Crime Act, supposedly occurred between April and August 2018, a time during which DeSilva held the position of Minister of Social Development and Sport. In October, he refrained from entering a plea due to the requirement that the charge be addressed in the Supreme Court.
Reportedly, Blakey obtained the loan from the Government in 2018 with the intention of establishing the Savvy recording studio in Dockyard. However, the project never came to fruition, and Blakey vanished from the scene. A notice demanding repayment, issued in June 2019, stated that Blakey had defaulted on a sum of US$778,204 from the loan.
DeSilva, who is also the owner of a construction company, has been a legislator since 2007 and has held various ministerial roles. Nonetheless, he was compelled to resign from the Cabinet in July 2020 after attending a party at a restaurant that violated the regulations concerning the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Subsequently, both DeSilva and his daughter, Zarah Harper, faced criminal charges for providing false information to a government official in connection to the aforementioned event. However, all charges against them were ultimately dismissed by the Supreme Court.