$75,000 bail for policeman

Ramnanan Jagroop, 50, of Little Caura Road, Cumuto, stood alongside Amin Singh, 21, in the Second Court before Magistrate Adrian Darmanie to answer the charge.

The charge stems from the alleged illegal signing and stamping of a log book required by persons on bail for criminal charges, to have signed at designated Police Stations.

At yesterday’s hearing, attorney Daniel Khan, counsel for Jagroop complained that his client’s constitutional rights were infringed during his four-day incarceration.

“It seems in this country once you are being investigated, you lose your constitutional rights,” Khan argued. “My client also knew his rights as a police officer and was denied the constitutional right to contact his lawyer.”

Khan also noted that his client left police custody after posting bail at 9 pm Thursday, following his arrest on Monday. He said if this was the treatment dished out to a police officer, he could only imagine what is done to an ordinary citizen.

The matter was transferred to the Arima Magistrates’ Court where the accused men were ordered to return on April 2.

Before adjourning the hearing, Darmanie told the lawyer to raise his concerns with the Arima magistrate at the next sitting.

Attorney Yaseen Ali appeared for Singh.