The start of the preliminary inquiry into witness tampering charges against Trinidad’s former attorney general, Anand Ramlogan, has been adjourned to July 11.
On Monday, Chief Magistrate Maria Busby-Earle-Caddle made the decision when Ramlogan appeared virtually in a Port of Spain magistrate’s Court.
He is accused of obstructing justice by using threats and bribery to persuade Police Complaints Authority (PCA) Director David West not to give evidence in his (Ramlogan’s) defamation case against then Opposition Leader and current Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley.
Ramlogan is also accused of misbehaving in public office by improperly endeavoring for West not to testify on Rowley’s behalf.
The offenses allegedly occurred in October 2014, while former police commissioner Gary Griffith, a witness, served as national security minister. In 2015, prime minister Kamla Persad Bissessar fired Ramlogan and Griffith.
Ramlogan was eventually charged with the offenses in 2017, and on Monday, the Chief Magistrate set the July date for the start of the inquiry after refusing another adjournment.
Meanwhile, Ramlogan is also due back in court in May on a separate matter after he and former opposition senator, Gerald Ramdeen, face different charges over an alleged legal fee kickback scheme.
On Monday, the case also came up for hearing before Chief Magistrate Busby-Earle-Caddle and was adjourned to May 31.
The charges against Ramlogan and Ramdeen arose out of an investigation into almost one billion dollars (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents) in legal fees paid to private legal practitioners, who represented the State and State companies in legal proceedings during Ramlogan’s tenure between 2010 and 2015.
Ramlogan, Ramdeen, and Jamaica-born British Queen’s Counsel Vincent Nelson were charged with conspiring together to receive, conceal and transfer criminal property, namely the rewards given to Ramlogan by Nelson for being appointed to represent the State in several cases; of conspiring together to corruptly give Ramlogan a percentage of the funds and of conspiring with to make Ramlogan misbehave in public office by receiving the funds.
But shortly after being charged, Nelson entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors for his testimony against Ramlogan and Ramdeen.
In March 2020, High Court Judge Malcolm Holdip upheld the plea agreement and issued a total of TT$2.25 million in fines to Nelson for his role in the alleged conspiracy.
Holdip fined Nelson TT$250,000 for allegedly conspiring with Ramlogan and Ramdeen to breach Section 3 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which criminalizes corruption through bribery. The maximum penalty for the offense is a TT$500,000 fine and ten years in prison.
He was also fined two million dollars for allegedly conspiring with the other two attorneys to breach Section 45 of the Proceeds of Crime Act, which criminalizes the concealment of the proceeds of crime. The maximum penalty for the offense is 25 years in prison and a TT$25 million fine.
Under his plea agreement, the conspiracy to commit misbehavior in public office charge against Nelson, who now resides in the United Kingdom, was dropped.
As part of his sentence, Justice Holdip said Nelson, who had been in protective custody during his visits to Trinidad for the investigation and sentencing, was free to return to the United Kingdom. At the same time, he cleared the fines under a 10-month court-approved payment plan.
CMC/
