A former premier facing a string of corruption charges has recruited an ex-Attorney-General to his legal team.

Ewart Brown said Sir Elliott Mottley, who was the A-G between 1995 to 1998, would help represent him in the wake of his January appearance by video link in Magistrates’ Court.

Sir Elliott was appointed in 1999 to the Belize Court of Appeal in 1999 and was president of the court from 2004 to 2010.

Dr Brown, who was premier from 2006 to 2010, was charged with 13 counts of corruption.

It was alleged he unjustly received payment between 2001 and 2010 from the Lahey Clinic in the United States in connection with Dr Brown’s clinics in Bermuda.

Dr Brown also faced allegations of corruptly obtaining $350,500 in donations to benefit the Progressive Labour Party and the Bermuda Health Foundation between 2007 and 2010.

He was not required to enter a plea at the January appearance as the case must be heard in Supreme Court.

Senior magistrate Juan Wolffe released Dr Brown on $250,000 bail.

Sir Elliott, who retired from the bench last year, sat on the Court of Appeal of the Cayman Islands from 2005 to 2015.

He also spent 17 years on the Court of Appeal of the Turks & Caicos Islands and became its president.

Dr Brown said last night that Sir Elliott would join the New York law firm Debevoise & Plimpton and Jerome Lynch, QC on his legal team.

The case is expected to go to the Supreme Court at the April arraignments session.

•It is The Royal Gazette’s policy not to allow comments on stories regarding criminal court cases. This is to prevent any statements being published that may jeopardise the outcome of that case.