Snr cop charged with stealing car

Sgt Errol Ramdath and Cpl Lester Sooklal were arrested by members of the Anti-Corruption Bureau yesterday, before being escorted to the Princes Town Magistrates’ Court.

The courthouse is located opposite the station where the policemen worked.

Yesterday, Magistrate Indrani Cedeno granted bail in the sum of $275,000 to both policemen, but with special conditions attached.

The first condition is that Ramdath and Sooklal surrender their passports to the court’s Clerk of the Peace. Once a fortnight, they must report to the station nearest their district.

Cedeno also ordered that both police officers refrain from interfering with witnesses cited in the proceedings.

Ramdath, of Hindustan Village, Moruga, was in charge of the Princes Town Police Station for several years. Sooklal, of Bonne Aventure Road, Gasparillo, was police prosecutor with responsibility for property-keeping at the station.

Ramdath was driven into the station’s compound in a silver Nissan Almera vehicle at about 11 am yesterday. Sooklal, sitting in a heavily-tinted white Kia panel van, was driven to the back of the station and quickly whisked into the courtroom.

Ramdath’s brother, Premchan, who is an assistant senior superintendent, accompanied him to court. Cedeno read the charge, which alleged that between December 1 and December 31, 2004, in Princes Town, in the county of Victoria, they stole a Nissan B-14 Sunny valued at $27,950, belonging to Citizen Insurance Ltd.

Ramdath and Sooklal were not called on to plead to the charge, which was laid indictably. Attorney Chateram Sinanan represented Sooklal yesterday. Ramdath has retained attorney Prakash Ramadhar to represent him. In making an application for bail, Sinanan told Cedeno that Ramdath and Sooklal have since been suspended from duties.

They are to re-appear in court on January 24.