The Appeal Court has refused an application brought by former Education Minister, Ruel Reid, and Caribbean Maritime University President, Fritz Pinnock, seeking to have criminal charges against them dropped.

The court refused the application for permission to appeal a full court decision, which was delivered on March 2.

The full court had turned down their application for leave to go to the judicial review court to have the charges quashed.

The court of appeal also refused an application for stay of criminal proceedings in the parish court pending the outcome of the appeal of the full court decision.

The court also ruled that costs be awarded to the financial investigation division.

The men had contended before the full court that the financial investigation division was not empowered by law to bring the charges against them.

However, attorney-at-law Richard Small who is representing the FID argued that the police personnel assigned to the FID acted lawfully when they arrested Reid and Pinnock.

Mr. Reid, his wife Sharen , their daughter Sharelle, Fritz Pinnock and Brown’s Town division Councillor Kim Brown Lawrence are facing several charges in relation to a probe of the Ministry of Education and CMU.

They are on bail and are to return to the St. Andrew parish court on April 8.