CHRISTOPHER Hughes, a Canadian YouTuber known online as “Chris Must List,” has dismissed his Trinidadian attorneys after being invoiced US $50,000 for two court appearances.
Hughes, who faces a sedition charge, announced his decision to represent himself in an Instagram post on Wednesday night.
Hughes, describing himself as a relatively new YouTuber, explained that he could not afford the high legal fees. “Freedom is not free in Trinidad! I will be fighting my charge of sedition alone,” he captioned his minute-long video.
The 45-year-old father of three was charged in May by Sgt Lee of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) for publishing a statement with seditious intent. Since then, he has had four attorneys, including Pamela Elder, SC, former attorney-general Anand Ramlogan, SC, Criston Williams, and Russell Warner.
In his video, Hughes expressed disbelief at the exorbitant fees. “To imagine my invoice for two, ten-minute virtual bail hearings was US $50,000, which is extortion in my eyes, especially when I was given no mention of such a price for so little work,” he said. He also estimated that senior lawyer fees could easily surpass US $500,000 by the time the case goes to trial, a sum he cannot afford.
Hughes, who has pleaded not guilty to the sedition charge and is currently out on $100,000 bail, faces a potential $3,000 fine or two years imprisonment. His next court appearance is scheduled for Friday.
Defending his decision to self-represent, Hughes stated, “I have fired my criminal lawyers, and I have decided I’m going to take on this charge myself. I’m going to defend myself, that’s right! Some people might say, ‘Chris, now you’ve proven that you are a crazy guy,’ and the truth is court thus far, two appearances by my criminal lawyer, they invoiced me US $50,000.”
Hughes concluded by acknowledging his financial limitations as a “fairly new” YouTuber and reiterated his commitment to self-representation. “Court is Friday morning, and I’ll let everyone know how it goes. Thanks for the love and support,” he said.
