Bail granted but Charles still can’t go home

Although granted bail yesterday in the sum of $120,000 by a magistrate for a fraudulent offence, Charles, 41, one of five Muslim men who returned to Trinidad on Friday after spending two years and eight months in a Venezuelan jail but was arrested when he landed in Piarco, was still not able to walk out of the San Fernando Court as his family had expected.

At about 1.50 pm yesterday, Organisational Head of The Islamic Front, Umar Abdullah, broke the “bad news” to concerned family members saying the administrative process was stalled since those involved wanted to go and vote.

Abdullah later told reporters, “We do have a bailor, but the documentation and so on to get all that in place is going to take some time and today (yesterday) is election day and the JP (Justice of the Peace) has indicated that she wants to go and vote.

She would certainly not be around so he would have to go up (to the prison) and tomorrow (today) we will take care of that definitely.” The news wiped the smiles off the faces of the family members especially his mother who had earlier told reporters that she was thrilled to finally be taking Charles to her home in San Juan where all relatives were waiting.

Yesterday, Charles, a father of ten, appeared before Magistrate Brahmanand Dubay in the San Fernando First Magistrate’s Court where he was granted bail for the alleged offence said to have been committed between August 2, 2011 and December 20, 2013.

The court heard that during that time, it is alleged that Charles fraudulently converted for his own use and benefit the sum of $279,962 entrusted to him by Ganesh Jaglal to apply same as a down payment towards the purchase and importation of one ten tonne truck valued at $279,962. It was the reason he was arrested when he landed at Piarco on Friday.

Court prosecutor Cleyon Seedan had no objections to bail being granted. The court however stood down the matter for a while to allow a document to be brought to court as the magistrate insisted that it be dealt with swiftly so as to allow Charles to re-unite with his family.

As a condition of his bail, Charles, who was represented by attorneys Ravi Rajcoomar and Selwyn Richardson, has to report every Monday and Thursday between the hours of 6 am and 9 pm to the San Fernando Police Station. The court was told that he has another matter relating to illegal quarrying pending in the Arima Magistrates’ Court.

He is to return to court on December 22.