Trinidad and Tobago’s Director of Public Prosecutions, (DPP), Roger Gaspard, says he is discontinuing a charge of misbehavior in office against former government minister Marlene McDonald.
But at a virtual hearing, Gaspard told Chief Magistrate Maria Busby Earle-Caddle that the six other charges, including three of conspiracy to defraud, two of misbehaving in public office, and one of money laundering, will continue.
The notice of discontinuance of the charge of misbehavior in public office was dated March 25 and was made according to the DPP’s powers under Section 90 of the Constitution, which allows him to discontinue any criminal proceedings undertaken by him or anyone else at any stage before judgment is delivered.
McDonald, a former public administration minister and PNM deputy political leader was sacked by Prime Minister Rowley in 2019, is charged with four others on several offenses of conspiracy to defraud the Government.
Among the charges read out are that McDonald, along with her common-law husband, Michael Carew, Edgar Zephyrine and Victor McEachrane: “conspired together to defraud the State of TT$800,000 by corruptly procuring for their benefit and enrichment funding in the sum of TT$800,000 to be purportedly used by an entity called The Provident Foundation for Development.”
Carew is a retired civil servant and qualified minister of the gospel at a large church located off Morne Coco Road, Petit Valley. Zephyrine is the former chairman of the National Commission for Self Help. McEachrane is a contractor.
The money allegedly stolen, in this instance, was meant to have been used in a radical program of education, skills enhancement, and business development in a number of the poorest communities in Trinidad and Tobago.
CMC/
