Dhanraj to represent himself

JUST over a month after being freed of murder by a high court jury, the self-styled “Sheriff” Dhanraj Singh, a former Local Government Minister in the former UNC Government, stood before a San Fernando magistrate yesterday and declared that he would represent himself against 27 fraud charges.

This was in sharp contrast to the high-powered battery of attorneys led by Queen’s Counsel Karl Hudson-Phillips, who successfully represented Singh during the high court case in which Singh was on trial for the murder of former Chairman of the Rio Claro/Mayaro Regional Corporation, Hansraj Sumairsingh. Singh, clad smartly in light-green three-piece suit, entered the San Fernando Second Magistrates’ Court wearing a pair of dark glasses and holding a briefcase in his hands. As he sat in court, awaiting the case to be called, Singh wore a comfortable smile on his face. When Magistrate Sonia Aleong, before whom Singh appeared, asked who was representing him in the case, Singh replied, “I’m representing myself ma’am.” The matter was then adjourned to January 28 and Singh was seen busily writing down the date in his diary which bore a print of Sai Baba on the front cover. None of Singh’s relatives accompanied him to the court yesterday.

Singh surrendered at Police Headquarters on January 17, 2001, shortly after returning  from New York. He was subsequently charged by Head of Fraud Squad — Snr Supt Wellington Virgil —with 27 counts of soliciting and corruptly receiving over $1 million from contractor Karamchand Rampersad at San Fernando, Marabella, Gasparillo, Couva and La Romaine. On January 17, when he appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Deborah Thomas-Felix in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court, Singh was granted $150,000  bail to cover all charges. The matter was then transferred to the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court. At that time, Singh was being represented by attorneys Shastri Persad, Prakash Ramadhar and Larry Lalla. However, yesterday he declared to the court that he would represent himself in the case.