Kevin Martin

Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision

An attorney who did conveyancing work for the Jamaica National Building Society failed, across seven transactions, to pay over mortgage proceeds to vendors and to honour undertakings to settle mortgage debts from sale proceeds, failing to account for a total of $17,586,340.96. The attorney did not appear. The Committee, applying the beyond reasonable doubt standard, found the charges proven, found the attorney guilty of grave dishonesty and professional misconduct (breaches of Canons IV(r) and VII(b)(ii)), and ordered him struck off the Roll, plus restitution of $17,586,340.96 with interest and $50,000 costs.

Duties found breached:

• No improper communication with the court
• Honesty
• Prompt accounting and return of money

Aggravating factors:

• Grave dishonesty and a course of conduct calculated to deprive the complainant of large sums of money
• Failure to account for a total of $17,586,340.96
• Criminal conviction in Resident Magistrate's Court in relation to one transaction
• Multiple transactions involving breaches of undertakings
• No response to numerous requests to account