The state of Trinidad and Tobago is awarded almost $1 billion by the Miami courts, in government’s successful Piarco civil asset forfeiture case.

This is confirmed in the final judgment now issued in the Miami-Dade Circuit Court by Judge Reemberto Diaz.

The defendants in the matter–businessman Steve Ferguson, former Minister Brian Kuei Tung and US businessman Raul Gutierrez Jr.

The jury concluded that all three were liable on racketeering claims  and must now pay US$32,385,988 in damages suffered by Trinidad and Tobago

But this increased the damages awarded to the state and it is now multiplied by three.