MAN WITH 4 NAMES

THERE was total silence in court yesterday when State attorney George Busby revealed that accused cocaine trafficker Derek Perpignac lived in Colombia, has a Colombian wife and two children who live in that country. In addition, Perpignac has four names on several passports, identification cards and a driver’s permit. Busby pointed out that there is a real risk that if Perpignac is granted bail, he could flee to Colombia — a country which has no extradition treaty with Trinidad and Tobago.

Busby said that Perpignac has four aliases — Anthony Perpignac, Derek Perpignac, Anthony Mauge, and Anthony Christopher Hills. He said when the accused was arrested, he was in possession of several passports, identification cards, and a driver’s permit. Ian Brooks, who represented Perpignac, challenged the State to produce the various forms of identification before the issue of bail could be decided. The matter was adjourned to Friday. Perpignac, 41, and Lawrence Blake, 35, a tailor, appeared before Senior Magistrate Lianne Lee Kim in the Port-of-Spain Fourth Magistrates’ Court charged with being in possession of 4.2 kilos of cocaine along the Western Main Road in Cocorite on October 20. When the case was called yesterday, Busby surprised everyone when he turned up to represent the prosecution at the second hearing. In objecting to bail, Busby told the court that Perpignac has social ties to another country that does not have an extradition treaty with TT.

Pressed further, Busby said the accused has a wife and two children living in Colombia. “If he leaves here to go there, we will not be able to bring him back to face his trial. He can go there and cannot be brought back. We found several forms of identification — passports, identification cards, and driver’s permit.” Busby informed the court that Perpignac has two cases pending in court — larceny from a dwelling house, and larceny of a birth certificate. “He is an obvious flight risk,” Busby told a packed and silent courtroom. He said the accused allegedly committed the cocaine offence while on bail for the other offences. “This qualifies in the strongest way, that if he is released, he will not return to answer the charge.” In response, Brooks was agitated that the State brought up matters not related to the cocaine case. He asked the State to refrain from mentioning other matters besides what was before the court. Busby interjected and said these were issues to be mentioned on the question of the grant of bail. Brooks said the court’s mind was being prejudiced by other issues. He said his client had just one matter pending before the Tunapuna Magistrates’ Court and that was for possession of one stick of marijuana.

Brooks said the accused never attempted to abscond in the past. He pointed out that Perpignac had an unblemished record. On the issue that the accused has ties to Colombia, Brooks asked, “your worship, look around this court, is there any accused here who does not have ties in another country?” Brooks said that former Nipdec Chairman Edward Bayley, who was charged in the Piarco Airport case, resides in the Dominican Republic. “Mr Bayley has stronger ties there, but the court granted him bail with conditions. There is no extradition treaty with the Dominican Republic, and he has been able to get bail after he was arrested.”

Brooks said the prosecution had not established that Perpignac was the holder of a false TT passport which allows him to leave TT. Brooks said Perpignac lives at 104 West Bayside Towers in Cocorite, and has his office at 17 Windsurf Drive, East Westmoorings-by-the-Sea. With reference to the several aliases, Brooks said Perpignac changed his name by deed poll to Anthony Christopher Hills. “That is nothing strange; it is in the Red House. Why didn’t the police say they took away the deed poll from my client? Mr Perpignac travels regularly on that name change. He has no ties with Colombia,” Brooks declared. However, no mention was made of the other aliases.

Magistrate Lee Kim said the court was concerned with the accused having four passports bearing his photo, but with different names. Sensing the magistrate was about to rule on the question of bail, Brooks interjected, asking for the matter to be adjourned for the State to substantiate the allegations of the various passports. “Let the prosecution bring the passports to court, let us see them,” Brooks urged. Perpignac was remanded in custody to Friday. Blake was granted $100,000 bail with a surety.