‘Cops wanted to speak about corruption’

FORMER Government Minister Dhanraj Singh said yesterday that the police wanted him to speak about corruption within the United National Congress (UNC) Government when he was detained at the Police Admini-stration Building in 2001.

Singh, who was a former Minister of Local Government, said the police did not want him “to go down alone” for the murder of Hansraj Sumairsingh, chairman of the Mayaro/Rio Claro Regional Corporation. He said the police tried to dissuade him from speaking to his lawyers Shastri Parsad and Prakash Ramadhar because they were “still UNC” and Parsad was the brother-in-law of the then Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj. Singh made his defence before Madame Justice Paula Mae Weekes in the Port-of-Spain Second Criminal Court yesterday. He is charged with the murder of Sumairsingh, whose body was found at his beach house at Eccles Road, Mayaro, on December 31, 1999. When hearing resumes this morning, closing addresses will be made, first by defence attorney Karl Hudson-Phillips QC to be followed by State prosecutor, Sir Timothy Cassel QC.

The following is Dhanraj Singh’s testimony:
HUDSON-PHILLIPS: Your name is Dhanraj Singh?
ACCUSED: Yes, Sir.
HP: You live at 53 Dyer Village, Sisters Road, Williamsville?
ACCUSED: Yes, Sir.
HP: How long have you been married?
ACCUSED: 19 going into 20 years. I have three children, ages 17, 14 and eight.
HP: When did you become a Minister of Government?
ACCUSED: 1996.
HP: Prior to that, what did you do?
ACCUSED: I attended the Penal Vedic School. I went to Iere High School and then to the University of the West Indies, where I graduated in 1983 with the Bachelor’s Degree in Economics. After I graduated, I taught at North-Eastern College, Sangre Grande. I was recruited by the Ministry of Trade at Riverside Plaza as an Economist I for five years. I was then promoted to the Ministry of Finance as Economist II. I went back to UWI and did a diploma in Public Administration. In 1995, I was in the Ministry of Finance acting as a Senior Economist. I resigned my job in the Ministry in 1995 and went up for elections in the constituency of Pointe-a-Pierre for the United National Congress. I won my seat and the UNC was called upon to form the Government in a coalition. I was appointed a Minister in January 1996. I was appointed the Minister of Local Government.
HP: When you became the Minister of Local Government, did you have responsibility for the Unemployment Relief Fund (URP)?
ACCUSED: No. It was under the Ministry of Works, the Minister responsible was Mr Sadiq Baksh. In 1998, the URP was transferred to the Ministry of Local Government on the recommendation of Cabinet. At that time, it was felt that the URP would have been handled better under the Ministry of Local Government. There was a lot of abuse, ghost gangs and elements of corruption in the URP. We sought Cabinet approval and it was placed under new management. The URP was decentralised to the 14 regional corporations. We decided to have 14 pieces of the cake and that payments be issued in cheques. There was the theft of material from the job sites, there was rampant abuse of  sexual favours for jobs.
HP: What did you do about the URP?
ACCUSED: We set out to investigare matters which arose in the URP.  There were 14 investigations and when they reported back, anyone found guilty were fired. The report remained with the Ministry.
HP: Do you think there was discontent among the URP workers?
ACCUSED: Yes, there were people who wanted to return to the status quo, there was the burning of tyres. There were those in the Jamaat Al Muslimeen who felt we were clamping down on them.
HP: Did you know the Mayaro/Rio Claro Regional Corporation?
ACCUSED: Yes, Sir. That corporation came under the control of the UNC in 1996. The chairman was Mr Hansraj Sumairsingh. I knew him, as I know the 14 chairmen. I did not know him personally. I met him as part of the Ministry’s programme. We met with all Mayors and chairmen at least twice a year to discuss matters of policy.
HP: Did you ever visit his home?
ACCUSED: I only visited his home for the wake and the funeral. I was a pall bearer taking the body from the corporation to the hearse. I did not know where Sumairsingh lived. I had an open door policy. Anybody could have come and see me any time. I did not turn away anybody. People expected me to help them with jobs.
HP: Did you have any nicknames as a Minister?
ACCUSED: Yes.....Sheriff, and Wine Dhanraj Wine.
HP: In January 2000, did the police speak to you?
ACCUSED: Yes, Sir. The police spoke to me at the office of MP Sharma.
HP: Why there?
ACCUSED: I received a call from the police officer who said that they wanted to speak to me. They said I was a suspect. I met with my lawyers who gave me advice and told me not to answer any questions.
HP: During the year 2000, were you relieved of your Ministry.
ACCUSED: Yes, Sir. In October.
HP: In January 2000, did the police want to search your home?
ACCUSED: Yes, sir. The police wanted to search my home. I told them I had no problem in them searching my home.
HP: Let’s go to February 19, 2001. Did anything happen around 6.30 in the morning?
ACCUSED: Yes, the police came to my home. They said they had a warrant to search for arms and ammunition. I told them that they searched my home already for that. But they searched my premises.
HP: Do you know Mr Shastri Parsad?
ACCUSED: Yes, sir. He was one of my lawyers. I called him and told him what was going on. He asked me to read the warrant. I was not allowed to read the warrant as I did not have on my glasses. They told me I was a suspect. I was taken to the Police Administration Building in Port-of-Spain. We arrived there about 8 o’clock. I was taken to the first floor of the building and placed in a cubicle. An officer by the name of Mr Hernandez came and started to speak to me. He was friendly and asking questions. My parents arrived and brought some food for me. Another police officer, Telesford, asked me to sign something, but I didn’t. Then my lawyers came. They spoke to the Superintendent in charge. They said that Sgt George was in court. Mr Hernandez came back and started to speak to me again. He told me I should not go down alone. That the UNC abandoned me, and that the people was still with me, and that I should speak out. He told me to speak out about corruption and voter-padding. He said if I wanted to speak out, Shastri Parsad and Prakash Ramadhar would not allow me to speak out because they were UNC. He said that Shastri Parsad was related to the Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj. Shastri’s sister was married to Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj.
HP: Did Mr Hernandez speak to you again?
ACCUSED: Yes, around 3.30 in the evening. I spent the night at the CID at upper St Vincent Street. The next day —February 20 — the police came for me and took me to the Police Administration building where I was allowed to take a shower and have some breakfast. My lawyers came but left soon afterwards. PC Hernandez came back again and started his role of telling me that I should not go down alone, I should speak to the press. He told me to speak about Government Ministers in corruption, and that I should appeal to the President and the police for protection for my family. I was taken in a police vehicle to the corner of Knox and St Vincent Streets. We came out of the vehicle and walked towards the Magistrates’ Court. I was accompanied by Mr Hernandez and Mr Telesford, who were holding both my hands. I walked towards the entrance of the court building. The press was there and I walked straight into the press. Mr Hernandez held me back. He expected me to speak to the press on the matters he briefed me on. The press was present. I was surprised that some of the questions they asked me, were the same asked by Mr Hernandez. Questions like, am I turning State witness, am I going down alone, am I going to speak about corruption? I was taken from the court to a vehicle parked outside. The next day, I saw the newspapers, they used pictures outside the Magistrates’ Court, with microphones in my face to speak to me. On February 21, I was taken to the Mayaro Magistrate’s Court. My lawyers complained to the magistrate about the behaviour of the police at the Police Administration building. I gave my lawyers instructions to represent me in a constitutional motion which was filed in March 2000. This was heard before Justice Nolan Bereaux and was not successful.
HP: Do you know a man called Elliot Hypolite?
ACCUSED: The first time I saw him was in the Mayaro Magistrate’s Court when we were both charged with the murder of Sumairsingh.
HP: Did you see him at the Rum Bond ceremony?
ACCUSED: I cannot remember seeing him at the Rum Bond. I spoke to a lot of people, shook their hands. The Rum Bond was a burnt shell for people to produce foods to market in town. There were hundreds of people.
HP: Do you know Chen, Steve Cummings?
ACCUSED: No, Sir.
HP: Did Hypolite come and see you at your office in Tunapuna?
ACCUSED: No, Sir. The office there belongs to the URP. That was a specialist training centre for preparing 100 women each month in cake decoration, ceramics, drapery, dressmaking and things like that. We also took 20 computers and taught people a computer literacy course for two weeks.
HP: At your residence, you had two guards?
ACCUSED: Yes, they were from the MTS. They kept a diary of all who visited my compound. I have a constituency office in Marabella. That is where the people elected me. The whole of Trinidad used to visit me on a Saturday. Over 100 visited me on a Saturday. I also had an office at Kent House. That was the headquarters of the Ministry. I had a driver who used to pick me up by the doorstep, so there was no reason for me to go down in the car park. I don’t know of any NIPDEC car park.
HP: Did you have any conversation with Hypolite about being a good man for a job?
ACCUSED: No sir. I never had any conversation at the Rum Bond for wanting Hansraj dead. I did not give Hypolite any money for killing Hansraj. I did not give anybody any money to kill Hansraj Sumairsingh.
HP: Was there security at the Rum Bond?
ACCUSED: Yes, there was security headed by one Mr Barran as well as SRPs. There was a heavy police presence.
HP: Do you have an office at home?
ACCUSED: No, sir, it is the children’s library. People used to come to my home seeking jobs.The police went into that room when they searched the house.
HP: Prior to the funeral of Hansraj Sumairsingh, did you know where he lived?
ACCUSED: No, sir. I never went to his home, or his beach house at Mayaro. I never made any arrangements to go to his beach house. It was only when I read about his death, did I know that he had a beach house.
(Cross-examined by Sir Timothy Cassel QC)
CASSEL: Do you think the police is biased against you?
ACCUSED: Yes, Sir. Because of their behaviour at the Police Administration Building.
CASSEL: Does that sound like bias?
ACCUSED: He (Hernandez) told me to speak to the press so that it could bring down the Government. They told me I was innocent, they would drop the charge.
CASSEL: But you did not tell your attorney that?
ACCUSED: My attorney did not ask me that. If I did what they wanted me to do....I would not be standing here.
CASSEL: How is that bias, they wanted to use your evidence to prosecute others for corruption?
ACCUSED: Mr Hernandez told me so, that they would drop the charges.
CASSEL: But Mr Hernandez is a junior officer, how could he tell you that?
ACCUSED: I did not know he was a junior. He was a young man. I did not think he was behaving properly.
CASSEL: Why did you not complain to your lawyers?
ACCUSED: I was not allowed to speak to my lawyers privately. The police were always around my lawyers. On the second day, I had to give Mr Ramadhar a sign, but he left. It was only when I went to the Mayaro Magistrate’s Court that my lawyers complained to the magistrate.
CASSEL: Were you afraid of Mr Hernandez?
ACCUSED: I was afraid of the police. I was just arrested for murder.  There were police coming and going into that building.
CASSEL: Did you speak to any senior officers?
ACCUSED: I spoke to Mr Diaz and Mr Philbert. Mr Philbert told me the same thing as Mr Hernandez. Philbert said while the Prime Minister praised me before, he is throwing me away. He said he was investigating corruption and he could help me and my family. I said nothing at all. I was charged with murder, I was under a lot of pressure. I never told Philbert that what he was doing was improper.
CASSEL: Did you have a firearm?
ACCUSED: Yes, sir. Based on the Prime Minister’s request, I handed over my licensed firearm to former Assistant Commissioner John Grant at the Ministry of Works building. There was an allegation that I pulled out my gun at the Tunapuna Regional Corporation. It was an allegation by a worker. I carried a licensed firearm every where I went. I did pulled out any gun. The Prime Minister asked me to hand over the gun. The police never prosecuted me. There was no evidence to that effect, so they couldn’t charge me.
CASSEL: Were you charged on the first day when you were arrested?
ACCUSED: No. I was bombarded with questions about the Government.
CASSEL: Did you ask to see Supt Philbert, now an Assistant Commissioner of Police?
ACCUSED: No.
CASSEL: Do you accept that he is a man of the highest integrity?
ACCUSED: I cannot accept that, not the way be behaved. I never asked him what he could do for me if I spoke about Government corruption. He never said he could not do anything for me because I was already charged with murder. I never told him that everyone was greedy and were just taking things. He never told me that I benefited from the greed.
CASSEL: How did you know about Sumairsingh’s death?
ACCUSED: I learnt about his death through the news. I was shocked. I met him two to three times for the year. I spoke to him more often on the telephone. I had his home phone number, as well as his cellular phone, I could have contacted him any where. I would call Sumairsingh a working friend. I found him to be pleasant. I never threatened him in any way at all. I never did anything that would put him in fear.
CASSEL: Did you ever ask the police why you were a suspect?
ACCUSED: No, I did not ask. I did not ask myself. I had nothing to do with it at all, so I was not worried. I did not know what they were going to do to me. I don’t know of any corrupt practices in the Government. I did not know if the Government was completely upright. I don’t know of any corruption. The URP always had elements of corruption....up to this day. We tried to put an end to corruption in the URP.
CASSEL: It seems that a lot of Jamaat Al Muslimeen members were members of the URP?
ACCUSED: It was not our duty to assess people when they come in for jobs. Yes, the Jamaat people are appearing in the news a lot lately. They are not the most respectable people, but they need jobs too. I do not know if they are dangerous and violent. Like everybody else, they were interviewed, they had to be given a chance.
My relationship with the Muslimeen was the same as everybody else. I had to deal with people.
CASSEL: Did you know Mark Guerra?
ACCUSED: Yes, sir. He worked as URP manager in the Port-of-Spain area.
CASSEL: Did you know him to be a violent person?
ACCUSED: No, sir. He was never my body guard.  I never gave him money. I don’t know if he was a friend of Hypolite. I never met Guerra, he used to come to the Ministry. I don’t know Steve Cummings, I don’t know if he was a Muslimeen.
CASSEL: Do you know Khalil Saif?
ACCUSED: Yes, he worked for six months in the Tunapuna Regional Corporation as a URP manager. I don’t know him well. He has never been to my home.
CASSEL: Did you see Mark Guerra at the Rum Bond ceremony?
ACCUSED: Yes.
CASSEL: What about Martin Lezama, David Fraser, Lancelot Ottley?
ACCUSED: I saw Ottley there.
CASSEL: Were you aware of burglar-proofing done to the Tunapuna office?
ACCUSED: I don’t know of burglar proofing in the Tunapuna office. I don’t know who paid for that. I don’t deal with financial matters. It would have come from the Ministry. The Minister does not deal with financial matters.
CASSEL: If Hypolite never came to your home, how did he arrive at the description of your home?
ACCUSED: Several people visited my home. Mr Abu Bakr has visited my home. He came there requesting material for a school project. I don’t know that Abu Bakr is a criminal. I can’t recall when he came to my home. He came once, he is not a friend of mine. Jamal Shabazz came to my home. He was a coach who requested jobs for the footballers.
CASSEL: Why did Abu Bakr come to your home?
ACCUSED: He came for assistance. I don’t think he got assistance. I don’t know where his school was. I told him I would see what I could do. That is the answer I gave everybody. A lot of people know the lay out of my home. In July-August 1999, I had a seven-night ramayan, where 7,000 people passed through my home. I was giving out gifts to the poor on that occasion. The gifts were stored in my room. Hundreds of gifts were in that room.
CASSEL: Do you think the Jamaat had a grudge against you?
ACCUSED: I am not saying that the Jamaat had a grudge against me. The ghost gang problem has clamped down since. I am not saying that Hypolite could have been put up to this by the Jamaat Al Muslimeen. It is possible that Hypolite could have gotten information on my house from the Jamaat Al Muslimeen.  It could have been anybody who could have told Hypolite about the layout of my house.
CASSEL: For somebody to give Hypolite the layout, that person would have had to go to prison?
ACCUSED: Hypolite could have gotten visitors in prison, including the police.
CASSEL: Were you aware that Abu Bakr made speeches supporting you politically?
ACCUSED: Yes, I am aware, but I was concerned about him supporting me. He had no reason to do that. He was up to something. I never contacted him and asked him why he was making speeches in my support. I never raised it with the Prime Minister or anybody else. Politicians do pretend. Bakr is a politician, I had no reason for him to speak on my behalf.
CASSEL: Do you think Abu Bakr was happy that Hypolite gave evidence against you?
ACCUSED: I can’t say. It could be possible that the police put Hypolite up against me. That could have been done to put pressure on me to speak out on corruption.
CASSEL: Why do you think the police put Hypolite up to give false evidence against you?
ACCUSED: Because I was a suspect.
CASSEL: I am putting to you that you were responsible for the death of Hansraj Sumairsingh.
ACCUSED: No, sir.
CASSEL: That you are behind that murder, and that you are prepared to pay for it. That you are guilty of this murder.
ACCUSED: No, sir.
Singh’s testimony ended at 12.55 pm.