SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A court in the Turks and Caicos Islands has sentenced former Premier Michael Misick to slightly over four years in prison, concluding a landmark corruption case that spanned several years.
Misick was apprehended in Brazil in December 2012 after his request for political asylum was denied. The charges against him included corruption, the misappropriation of public funds, and profiting from the sale of government land to private developers.
The court’s Friday ruling sentenced Misick to four years and 26 days of incarceration. This follows his conviction on three counts of bribery in early February, though Misick continues to maintain that the charges were politically motivated.
Also sentenced on Friday were former Cabinet minister McAllister Hanchell, who received three years, and attorney Thomas Misick—the former premier’s brother—who was sentenced to four years. All three individuals were taken into custody and are expected to appeal their respective sentences.
Michael Misick resigned as premier in 2009, shortly after the United Kingdom assumed temporary control of the territory’s government and suspended its constitution in response to widespread corruption allegations. This period of direct British rule concluded in November 2012 following the holding of new elections.
