Michael Misick
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Michael Eugene Misick (; born 2 February 1966) is a Turks and Caicos Islander politician who was the 7th
Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands The Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands is the political leader and head of government. The post of premier is the equivalent to chief minister or prime minister in other British Overseas Territories. It is the highest political level that ca ...
from 15 August 2003 to 9 August 2006 and was the 1st
Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands The Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands is the political leader and head of government. The post of premier is the equivalent to chief minister or prime minister in other British Overseas Territories. It is the highest political level that ca ...
from 9 August 2006 to 23 March 2009. Misick is a member of the Progressive National Party (PNP), and became chief minister when his party, after eight years as the opposition party, gained two parliamentary seats in by-elections. In addition to being premier, he was also the minister for Civil Aviation, Commerce and Development, Planning, District Administration, Broadcasting Commission, Tourist Board, Turks and Caicos Investment Agency, and Tourism. Several other members of Misick's family have been politicians in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and important leaders in the PNP.
Washington Misick Charles Washington Misick (born 13 March 1950) is a Turks and Caicos Islander politician who has been the 5th Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands since 20 February 2021. He has been the leader of the Progressive National Party since 20 Dece ...
, his brother, is the current Premier, former Chief Minister and former Minister of Finance.


Biography

Born in Bottle Creek,
North Caicos North Caicos is the second-largest island in the Turks and Caicos Islands (after Middle Caicos). To the west, the Caicos Cays (the closest is Parrot Cay) link to Providenciales. To the east, it is separated from Middle Caicos by Juniper Hole, a na ...
, Misick is one of 12 children of Mr and Mrs Charles Misick. He received his foundation education in North Caicos, and then furthered it at the Turks and Caicos High School (Helena Jones Robinson High School), the Miami Lakes Technical Institute (where he graduated with a certificate in Business Studies), and the
University of Buckingham , mottoeng = Flying on Our Own Wings , established = 1973; as university college1983; as university , type = Private , endowment = , administrative_staff = 97 academic, 103 support , chance ...
(LLB, Hons. Bachelor of Law). Misick is a Barrister at Law of England and Wales and an Attorney at Law of Turks and Caicos Islands. He is a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn. Misick spent several years in the private sector where he was sales manager for Prestigious Properties Ltd. from 1984 to 1986 and managing director from 1986 to 1988. From 1988 to 1991 he was chairman and CEO of Paramount Group of Companies, a property and financial services company. Misick was first elected to the Legislative Council in 1991, when he became Minister of Tourism, Transportation and Communications. He was re-elected in 1995. In March 2002 he was elected leader of the then opposition PNP thus succeeding
Washington Misick Charles Washington Misick (born 13 March 1950) is a Turks and Caicos Islander politician who has been the 5th Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands since 20 February 2021. He has been the leader of the Progressive National Party since 20 Dece ...
. In the April 2003 general elections, Misick's party won 6 out of the possible 13 seats in the legislature. The successful petitioning and winning of by-elections held in two constituencies resulted in Misick being sworn in as
Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands The Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands is the political leader and head of government. The post of premier is the equivalent to chief minister or prime minister in other British Overseas Territories. It is the highest political level that ca ...
on 15 August 2003, four months after election.


Personal

Misick has six children with five different women. His first marriage was to Yvette Marcelin, an attorney. In April 2006, Michael Misick married American actress
LisaRaye McCoy LisaRaye McCoy (born September 23, 1967), known as LisaRaye, is an American actress, fashion designer, model, businesswoman and former first lady of the Turks and Caicos Islands. McCoy is best known for portraying Diana "Diamond" Armstrong in t ...
. A statement released on 12 August 2008 to the press by Misick stated: "I am announcing that I am separated from ''
LisaRaye McCoy LisaRaye McCoy (born September 23, 1967), known as LisaRaye, is an American actress, fashion designer, model, businesswoman and former first lady of the Turks and Caicos Islands. McCoy is best known for portraying Diana "Diamond" Armstrong in t ...
'', I am committed to dissolving the marriage amicably. I believe that this is a private matter and will have no further comments. I hope that our privacy will be respected.”. The two were divorced in 2008. In 2013 he became engaged to
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
native Tatjana van de Merwe of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. They married in August 2018.


Political career


Corruption allegations

In 2008, a
Foreign Affairs Select Committee The Foreign Affairs Select Committee is one of many select committees of the British House of Commons, which scrutinises the expenditure, administration and policy of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Inquiries The Foreign Affairs ...
of British
Members Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...
of
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
conducting a routine review of the administration in
British Overseas Territories The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...
received several reports of high-level official corruption in the Turks and Caicos.Nick Meo
"Turks and Caicos: MPs criticise 'climate of fear' on luxury holiday islands."
''
The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
''. 6 July 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
Their report charged that Misick, "who is alleged to have built up a multi-million dollar fortune since he was elected in 2003 when he declared assets of only $50,000 ( £25,000)," enriched himself and fellow ministers "by selling off Crown land to fund current investment." In response, the
Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands The Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands is the representative of the British monarch in the United Kingdom's British Overseas Territory of Turks and Caicos Islands. The Governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British g ...
Richard Tauwhare Richard Tauwhare (; born 1 November 1959) was the tenth Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands, serving from 11 July 2005 to 16 July 2008. He succeeded Governor Jim Poston. Originally from Woking, Unite ...
announced the appointment of a Commission of Enquiry into corruption on 10 July 2008.


Rape allegation

On 7 January 2007, Misick called for
general elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
on 9 February. The PNP won 13 of the 15 seats, making it one of the most lopsided election results in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Misick was accused of
raping Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or a ...
an American woman on 28 March 2008. The claim against Misick failed, and the woman subsequently brought proceedings against her employers in Florida.


Resignation

On 15 December 2008 Misick was asked to step down by nine members of his party. Misick, who has denied any wrongdoing, resigned on 23 March 2009 after an investigation found "clear signs of corruption" in Turks and Caicos. The UK Foreign Office said it would suspend the constitution and give control to Governor
Gordon Wetherell Gordon Geoffrey Wetherell, CMG (born 11 November 1948) is a British diplomat who was the former Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands. He was appointed on 5 August 2008, replacing Richard Tauwhare in the position. On 14 August 2009, he assum ...
. The departure of the premier occurred a week earlier than expected. While the investigations were underway, Governor
Gordon Wetherell Gordon Geoffrey Wetherell, CMG (born 11 November 1948) is a British diplomat who was the former Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands. He was appointed on 5 August 2008, replacing Richard Tauwhare in the position. On 14 August 2009, he assum ...
suspended self-government in the islands on 16 August 2009. In June 2011 Misick's assets were frozen by a court order. In September 2010 a report from the Turks and Caicos Islands 2008-9 Commission of Inquiry recommended criminal investigation of Misick of possible corruption and abuse of his former position.


Arrest and trial

On 7 December 2012, Michael Misick was arrested at
Santos Dumont Airport Santos Dumont Airport is the second major airport serving Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is named after the Brazilian aviation pioneer Alberto Santos Dumont (1873–1932). It is operated by Infraero. Santos Dumont has slot restrictions operatin ...
,
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
,
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, after being located by
Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
. He was arrested while trying to leave for
Sao Paulo SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S ...
. The arrest warrant was issued by Minister
Ricardo Lewandowski Enrique Ricardo Lewandowski (; born May 11, 1948) is a Brazilian judge and a justice of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil. Lewandowski presided over the impeachment trial of president Dilma Rousseff, and controversially separated the cassa ...
of the
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of Brazil on 22 November, at the request of the government of the United Kingdom. He was returned to Turks and Caicos on 7 January 2014 where he was questioned at the capital's police headquarters. He was briefly remanded at Her Majesty’s Prison Grand Turk before being released on bail on 13 January 2014 ahead of his trial. He was charged with conspiracy to receive bribes, conspiracy to defraud the government and money laundering. His much-delayed trial began on 18 January 2016, and was still on-going a year later. The trial was continuing in 2019 and 2020 until the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
resulted in another postponement.


Political comeback attempt

In December 2016, Misick stood as an at-large candidate in the general elections in Turks and Caicos Island as an independent. However, he received only 5.57% of the vote and was not elected.


References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Misick, Michael 1966 births Living people Chief Ministers of the Turks and Caicos Islands Heads of government who were later imprisoned Premiers of the Turks and Caicos Islands Progressive National Party (Turks and Caicos Islands) politicians Turks and Caicos Islands Christians