Bakr out on $400,000 bail

"Taken from our C O U R T section."

AFTER eight months behind bars, Jamaat al Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr is a free man again.

Bakr, 64, emerged from the Hall of Justice, Port-of-Spain, at 3.10 pm, hours after he was granted $400,000 bail by a judge.

A handful of Muslimeen supporters, including three of his wives were present, when Bakr, dressed in all white, walked out of the court building. His supporters were so emotional about seeing their spiritual leader, a female television reporter was almost trampled on the steps of the Hall of Justice.

Bakr had nothing to say as he emerged, but managed a smile as he was whisked away by a waiting car driven by his son Fuad.

Bakr had been in custody eversince he was charged in November 2005 with sedition, incitement, and terrorism, arising out of his sermon at Eid celebrations at his Mucurapo mosque last year.

Yesterday, Bakr appeared before Justice Herbert Volney in the Port-of-Spain First Criminal Court seeking bail. He was represented by Theodore Guerra SC, Pamela Elder SC, and Richard Mason. Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Geoffrey Henderson and Dana Seetahal SC appeared for the State.

Several grounds were advanced why Bakr should get bail — his health, the length of time in custody, the discontinuance of firearm charges, and the fact that the sedition charges would play second fiddle to the conspiracy to murder charge which Bakr also faces.

But the State objected, saying there were no new circumstances which would warrant Bakr getting bail.

But Volney was convinced that the Jamaat leader should be granted bail. He granted Bakr $400,000 bail with two sureties to be approved by the Registrar of the Supreme Court. The judge stated that Bakr is not to leave Trinidad and Tobago without the permission of a judge sitting in chambers. Volney stated that Bakr’s conspiracy to murder charge should take precedence and that the trial should be held without further delay.

He said Bakr has had ample opportunity to get a lawyer for his trial. He said the trial would begin on November 1 in the Third Criminal Court.

Elder then asked, “So the sedition trial is not likely to start in November? I have to ask my client if he wants me to represent him at the trial.”

Volney said the court was informed that Bakr intends to go to London for a lawyer, “but local is better than foreign.” The judge pointed out that the foreign lawyer may not be ready before March next year.

He said the whole country knows that Bakr has these cases in court. Because the court was proceeding with the conspiracy to murder trial, the sedition trial would be put on the cause list for December 14.

Elder also indicated that she intends to challenge jurors, so she was alerting the judiciary to that.

Bakr, of La Puerta Avenue, Diego Martin, is charged jointly with others with conspiring to murder Salim Rasheed and Zaki Aubaidah at Citrine Drive, Diamond Vale, Diego Martin, on June 4, 2003.

He went on trial before Justice Mark Mohammed on January 4, 2005. When the verdict was delivered on March 16, 2005, the nine-member jury failed to agree and a re-trial was ordered.