Defence wants to study new charges

ATTORNEYS representing the defendants in the Piarco Airport Corruption inquiry asked for time yesterday to study the new charges laid against some of their clients. Allan Alexander SC told Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls that new charges had been laid against some of the accused persons in the inquiry. Alexander said he wanted to see whether the new charges overlap with the charges previously laid before the court. He wanted to find out if the laying of new charges could result in an abuse of process. Gilbert Petersen SC, who is leading the prosecution’s case, agreed to hand over information as to the new set of charges which were laid earlier this week by the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Investi-gations.

The Chief Magistrate agreed to the request for more time and adjourned the inquiry to May 26. In another matter, Mc Nicolls gave a written ruling to submissions made by the defence as to the admissibility of a cheque into evidence. Asst Supt Wayne Boyd, of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, was about to tender the cheque into evidence some time ago when Frank Solomon SC, one of the defence attorneys, objected to its admissibility. There were oral submissions by the prosecution and defence. The defence argued that the issue was one of importance as it could impact on the admissibility of documents in the inquiry.

More submissions were submitted in writing to the court. Chief Magistrate could not give his ruling last week, saying he needed more time to give a decision. Yesterday, even before the start of the inquiry, the clerk of the court handed out copies of the ruling to attorneys on both sides. When Mc Nicolls arrived in court, he told the lawyers that he had made a ruling and he was ready to proceed. That was when Alexander rose and complained about the new set of charges laid against some of the accused. Eight persons and three companies are charged with a total of 21 offences relating to the new Terminal Development Project at Piarco Airport.

They are Brian Kuei Tung and Russell Huggins, former government ministers; Ishwar Galbaransingh, CEO of Northern Construction Limited (NCL); Amrith Maharaj, financial comptroller of NCL; John Henry Smith, CEO of Maritime General Insurance Company; Steve Ferguson, chairman of Martime Group of Companies; Barbara Gomes, company secretary; businesswoman Renee Pierre; Maritime General Insurance Company; NCL; and Fidelity Insurance and Leasing Company Limited.