Pres Richards goes to court

PRESIDENT George Maxwell Richards has gone to the High Court to acquire the estate of a woman who died four years ago at the age of 89. The application was filed in the Probate Section of the Port-of-Spain High Court on August 8. In the application, President Richards is asking for the grant of the letters of administration for the estate of Naomi Martin, a retired clerk, who died at 15 Vistabella Road, San Fernando, on June 27, 1999, a spinster without a child. At the date of her death, Martin left her only surviving relative, her sister Henrietta Odessa Richards as the only person lawfully entitled to her estate. But Henrietta Richards died three months later — September 15, 1999 without having taken upon herself the letters of administration of Martin’s estate.

Henrietta left a will with President Richards as her personal legal representative. A grant of probate of Henrietta’s will was granted to the President by the High Court on January 21, 2000. At that time, Richards was attached to the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, as a professor. With President Richards the legal representative for Henrietta, he has applied for Martin’s estate which include two parcels of land at 15 and 17 Vistabella Road, San Fernando. Both parcels of land are valued at $60,000 according to the High Court documents. Martin left no cash in hand or in the bank, furniture, stocks and shares, mortgage debts, policies of insurance or any other property, according to the application. President Richards listed the Martin’s family tree. He said Martin’s parents John and Florence were married at the St Paul’s Anglican Church, San Fernando on December 14, 1892. Although the marriage date is known, Richards said efforts were unsuccessful in trying to obtain a certified copy of their marriage certificate from the Registrar General’s Office.

The Martins had 12 children, the first was born on September 1, 1888 and the last on October 6, 1914. Henrietta, whose last will was dated December 11, 1992, was born on October 9, 1907. Since then, both parents and all of the 12 children have died. According to the President, “I have been informed by other family members and verily believe that shortly after the death of the deceased (Martin), a diligent search was made among her papers and effects and also in the depository of wills for living persons in the Registry of the Supreme Court for a will or other documents of a testamentary character of the deceased (Martin) and found none and I verily believe that she died intestate.” The President said from the search in the Registry of the High Court, it appears that no application had been made for Martin’s estate. As Henrietta’s legal representative, the President promised to “faithfully administer” Martin’s estate, as required by law. He said the delay in filing this application stemmed from the fact that the assets of Martin’s estate had to be determined.