Mavado is hitting back hard at the hypocrisy of the justice system in Jamaica which he says favors those from a better social class and treats them as untouchable. The artiste took to his Instagram to lambaste the judge in his ongoing case against disgraced attorney Jennifer Messado who owes him $30 million.
The embattled real estate attorney is accused of defrauding entertainer Mavado of almost $31 million. She was granted bail for $5 million in 2018 when she appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.
Mavado is alleging that Messado collected $30.7 million from him through his attorney after professing that she was acting on behalf of a property owner who she claimed was incarcerated overseas. However, it was allegedly later revealed that the owner was not incarcerated, had not given her permission, nor was he selling his property in Grosvenor Terrace, Kingston 8.
“Messado had not been granted permission to sell the property and she kept on delaying and delaying until we realized that something was wrong. Subsequent to the case being reported to the police, monies were returned, about $9 million in all,” Tamika Harris, Mavado’s lawyer, had said to Loop News back then.
On Tuesday, Mavado expressed his frustration at the matter and called out the authorities for not doing anything to stop Messado, who he says has had a long history of robbing and defrauding persons prior to trying to scam him. He noted that Messado is still free and not in jail.
“Over 3 years this Lady Scammer Jennifer Messado stole over 30 million dollars from me. It seems her Job in Jamaica is to Proudly scam peoples properties and money. Has the power to take your money and cannot go to prison? Charged over 7 times and counting for scamming 100 of millions of dollars from the citizens of Jamaica and never been penalized. Everytime she goes to court she goes home.”
He added that he was disappointed with how the court system has handled the matter, which would be akin to adding insult to injury when it comes to recovering his money.
“Two years ago she and the court system tried to turn my money into a loan of 150k per month payback (over 20years to collect) from a 75 year old. Plse Remember I didn’t lend her my money she scammed it.”
Meanwhile, the artiste seems irritated at the privileges Messado seems to have in her ongoing case as she seeks to use another opportunity to avoid jail time. According to Mavado, Messado has written to the court to say she cannot repay the funds owed.
“A couple days ago she got an opportunity to write an affidavit to the court saying she has no money to pay and the reason she should not go to jail. I remember going to this lady office for the first time, finding out she is a criminal she blatantly told me in front her lawyer there is nothing I can do about my money and she knows who to call. Then said I pulled a gun on her and hit her to the police. A FAILED PLOT she planned. That day she said she can make my life a living hell because after all I was the first person to make her get charge. Which was also a fight for the police who told me even though they were trying their best, she was well connected. Proved it when she went to court and a judge told the police they should not lock her up on a Friday because she can’t post bail sameday and would stay for the Weekend. If I didn’t threaten to go social media she wouldn’t have been charged in the first place.. they charged her then for someone else money that was fighting years before me. Then they charged her for my money, and several others after!”
Mavado also asked what the Director of Public Prosecution was doing about “this aristocratic Scammer or is because of who she’s knows n [sic] where she’s from and her power she pulls in the System,”?
He added that the matter is set for hearing on May 19, 2021, and he is patiently waiting to hear what the judge has to say about the latest application by Messado.
Mavado has been constantly critical of the justice system, which he says was “corrupt” following the trial of his 18-year-old son Dante Brooks who was found guilty for murder and sentenced along with his co-accused Andre Hinds to life imprisonment with the option of parole available once they have served 22 years in jail. This means that the younger Brooks would be about 40 years old when he comes from jail, and Mavado himself would be a man in his 60s- a painful realization for the family, even as Mavado grieves the passing of his mother earlier this month.
In spite of Mavado’s frustration at Messado’s latest moves in court, the lawyer appears to be a cat with nine lives as she constantly evades jail time.
Among the many allegations against her alleges that she tried to sell properties owned by a church without the owner’s consent. She was arrested along with a broker, Beverly Barakat, in connection with the “sale” of the property valued at $232 million. It is also alleged that in 2017 Messado prepared a sales agreement for two parcels of land without the knowledge and consent of the owner and that she collected US$270,000 as down payment from the prospective purchaser. Along with those allegations, she was also hit with charges for forgery, uttering forged documents, and attempting to obtain money by means of forged documents.
The popular real estate attorney was disbarred in 2018 after the allegations were made. However, members of the public criticized the local Bar Association for failing to take serious complaints against Messado, which have arisen long before 2018. Nevertheless, she has been removed from the role of attorney and has been slapped with nearly a dozen fraud-related charges in four cases which all alleged that she made up documents and forged signatures to sell properties, some of which were not for sale.
For the most part, Messado, who is 70 years old, has been alleged to have serious deteriorating medical conditions, some of which have been said to be why she is on early release from jail.
Among the incidents which the court has considered was one where she has collapsed in public and another one where she had an uncontrolled bowel movement that disrupted court proceedings at the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court and sullied the hall, stairs, and courtroom in which her case was being called.
Meanwhile, the followers of the artiste read into his post and agreed with him.
One person wrote, “wait they wanted to turn 30 million into a loan! Wtf! Corruption!!” Another said if her “complexion and address were different, she’d be in prison to this day.”
Another person said, “these judges are hot for ghetto people only… don’t be surprised if she walks again.”
