Regina v Bills and Others
Regina v Fortune and Others

[…]

Held, dismissing joint appeal, that (1) both defendants' conduct amounted to failure to prevent the facilitation of Seldonan tax evasion, in violation of the Criminal Financial Practices Act, 2015, s. 42, (2) and both defendants' conduct amounts to failure to prevent the facilitation of foreign tax evasion, in violation of the Criminal Financial Practices Act, 2015, s. 46.

[…]

JUDGE. At the close of the defendants' case submissions were made to the judge that neither of the defendants had been aware, at their time of alleged failure to prevent the facilitation of […], of the criminal activity ongoing within the subdivision of SYZYGY (as it then was) or SYGYZY (as it was subsequently) for which they had assumed responsibility. Both defendants were interviewed on this point.

[EXCERPT: INTERVIEW OF OLAMIDE FORTUNE]: “With the utmost respect, your Honour, I could not possibly make any recollection as to the facts that are not speculative at best. I have already expounded, at length I might add, on the difficulties I have faced subsequently to my firing by SYZYGY, to an extent that, if I may say so–”

[JUDGE PRESIDING]: “You may not.”

[OLAMIDE FORTUNE]: “– feels to me can be nothing save for detrimental to the case at hand, in the sense that all of us here have limited time at our disposal and that time is not set to increase, at least not to my knowledge. Nothing at all can turn back the hands of time. On that basis alone, with regard to the non-obfuscation of justice, I humbly submit that my testimony thus far contains the full extent of my knowledge about the alleged misconduct, and that any evidence to the contrary has formed part of testimony not directly relevant to this case but to another, that too brought against my good name.”

[EXCERPT: INTERVIEW OF MICHAEL BILLS. JUDGE PRESIDING]: “Is that the close of your submissions?”

[MICHAEL BILLS]: “Yes, your Honour.”

[JUDGE PRESIDING]: “Very well then. Do you wish to make any closing remarks?”

[MICHAEL BILLS]: “I…”

[PAUSE]

[MICHAEL BILLS]: “… no, your Honour. That's all.”