‘GHOSTS DO NOT GET PAID’

BRENT DANGLADE admitted in court yesterday that he was an area foreman for URP, signing time sheets and getting pay. “You could say I used to get pay for nothing,” Danglade said under cross-examination. When asked by lead defence attorney Pamela Elder SC if he was a ghost foreman, Danglade replied, “Ghosts don’t get pay. I used to get pay.” It was the second straight day in the witness box for Danglade, 27, also known as “Small Brent.” Most of it was spent under cross-examination by Elder who drilled one of the prosecution’s main witness on his character.

When hearing ended at 3.40 pm, yesterday, Danglade was being re-examined by Director of Public Prosecutions Geoffrey Henderson. He will be further questioned today before the State’s main witness — Brent “Big Brent” Miller is called to the witness stand by English Queen’s Counsel Sir Timothy Cassel. It was another full house before Justice Mark Mohammed in the Port-of-Spain Third Criminal Court as evidence unfolded in the conspiracy to murder trial of Jamaat Al Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr. During yesterday’s hearing, ghost gangs and the URP featured prominently when Elder cross-examined Danglade.

Danglade said that on the day of the meeting at Citrine Drive, Diamond Vale, Diego Martin, on June 4, 2003, he was working. Where? “I am my own boss,” the witness told the defence attorney. He said he was the area foreman for Port-of-Spain, Belmont, Cascade, and St Ann’s for URP earning $800 a fortnight. When Danglade could not explain his duties, Elder asked, “were you a ghost foreman?” He replied, “Ghosts don’t get pay. I used to  get pay.” Danglade said he used to sign a time sheet and get pay. But Elder pointed to his evidence at the preliminary inquiry at the Magistrates Court in which the witness stated, “I was an area foreman, all I know I used to get pay. You could say I was a ghost foreman. I used to collect my pay. The ghost workers in URP, they don’t collect pay.” Elder asked, “you said you collected pay for no work?” Danglade replied, “Yes. My work is signing to get pay. That is how it does run in URP, signing sheets. I told the Magistrate I used to get pay for no work.”