Judge puts off Dhanraj again

The protest action by State prosecutors was one of two reasons for yesterday’s adjournment of the murder trial of former Government Minister Dhanraj Singh. The other was an administrative situation.

Special British prosecutor Sir Timothy Cassel QC was expected to make his opening address to the jury yesterday in which he would have outlined the State’s case before calling his first witness. Shortly after 9 am, Justice Paula Mae Weekes, sitting in the Port-of-Spain Second Criminal Court, informed the jury that there was an administrative situation and in light of that, she was adjourning the matter to today. Added to that, none of the three State prosecutors — Assistant DPP Devan Rampersad, prosecutors Sharon Raphael and Angelica Teelucksingh — who are assisting Cassel, were in Court. Attorneys in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) are on their second day of a sickout action which they hope will force Government to improve their terms and conditions of work. If the sickout continues today, it is uncertain how far Cassel will be able to proceed with the trial unassisted. Cassel is not with the DPP department but was hired by Government to lead the prosecution’s team in the Dhanraj case. Dhanraj is being defended by Karl Hudson-Phillips QC, who leads Ravi Rajcoomar and Jennifer Hudson-Phillips.