Defense for Selgado to Submit Written Closing Argument

Oscar Selgado

The defense in the abetment to murder trial of attorney Oscar Selgado closed before midday today, after the defense attorney, Adolph Lucas, Senior, indicated that he did not have sufficient time to prepare his closing arguments because of illness this week. In his closing arguments, Lucas entered a no-case submission on the premise that the testimony given by former Inspector of Police, Wilfredo Ferrufino could not be seen as reliable. Lucas said that Ferrufino, who was the officer who investigated Selgado’s case, and who listened to audio recordings that purportedly contained Selgado’s voice, could not be absolutely positive that the voice he identified as that of Selgado’s was actually his. Lucas used a couple examples of instances when persons mistook one voice for another. Similarly, he said, in this case, since the recordings were only audio, and the officer was not seeing who was speaking, there could have been a chance that it was not Selgado speaking. Lucas then used other points to premise his argument, but the trial judge, Nigel Pilgrim, said that his points were not in unison, to which Lucas said he was ill. Justice Pilgrim gave Lucas until January twenty-ninth to present the remainder of his arguments in writing to the court and to the prosecution. He then adjourned the case until February first.  Oscar Selgado is charged with abetment to murder against Marilyn Barnes who had reported him to the General Legal Council for inappropriate behaviour. Selgado then allegedly tried to hire a hitman to murder Barnes, but the would-be hitman, Geovannie Ramirez, ended up recording the conversations and taking them to the police. When Defense Attorney Lucas completes his closing arguments, then the prosecution, led by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Cheryl-Lyn Vidal, will present her closing submissions.