In Trinidad, retired appeal court judge, Stanley John, says he has been informed that a file at the center of a multi-million dollar (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents) compensation to nine men acquitted of the murder of businesswoman Vindra Naipaul-Coolman in 2016, has been found.
Stanley John last week was appointed as the lead investigator into the matter as the state seeks to determine how it was unable to file a defence in a matter in which it has been ordered to compensate the nine men TT$2.1 million (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents) each.
Last week, Attorney General Reginald Armour, told a news conference that an important file which would have alerted the Office of the Attorney General to the matter “had disappeared” although it had been received by the relevant department.
In a statement, the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs, quoted Justice John as saying “in my capacity as lead investigator” he had been informed on Monday evening by the acting solicitor general “that the file in question” had been handed over to her on Monday.
“I have immediately instructed that the solicitor general (Ag) secure that file for collection by the investigative team, the re-appearance of this file forms part of this continuing investigation,” the statement added.
When he announced the team to investigate the disappearance of the file, Armour told reporters that while he is not seeking to pass the buck, what occurred is “grievous and it must never be allowed to happen again”.
He has promised that “as soon as I have had the results of the investigation, which I have ordered, I will be accounting further to the citizenry in full and transparent manner.”
But the lawyers, including former attorney general Anand Ramlogan, representing nine men dismissed as a “joke” Armour’s statement regarding the missing file, adding “we can say, without fear of contradiction by anyone that the facts will easily demonstrate that the Ministry of the Attorney General, was kept fully abreast of this case at every step of the litigation”.
The Office of the Attorney General has announced that former Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) judge, Rolston Nelson, SC had been appointed to advise the state on its next move regarding the multi-million dollar judgement.
Last week, Master Martha Alexander awarded to the nine men TT$19,168,917.56 for malicious prosecution and exemplary damages; costs amounting to $200,917.56; and the cost of an expert witness of $68,000, making it perhaps the largest award in Trinidad and Tobago’s judicial history.
Interest will be added to the damages for each man, at a rate of 2.5 percent, from May 29, 2020, to January 30 this year.
CMC/
