2 cops freed of corruption charge

TWO Special Reserve Policemen (SRP) were yesterday freed of a charge of corruption. Roland Nichol-son, of Picton Road, Laventille, and Donald Snaggs, of Mt Pleasant Park, Cunupia, were discharged when they appeared before Senior Magistrate Gillian David in the Port-of-Spain First Magistrates’ Court. It was alleged that on December 21, 2002, at Westmoorings, Nichol-son and Snaggs, both of Traffic Branch, corruptly solicited for themselves an undisclosed sum of money from a married couple, Lima Andrews and Wade Cedeno, as an inducement to forbear criminal charges being preferred against the said Andrews and Cedeno contrary to the Prevention of Corruption Act 1987.

When the case was called yesterday, State attorney Candia James informed the court that the State was not offering any evidence against the two policemen. Rangee Dolsingh SC, who represented the policemen, told the court that his clients had already been freed of a similar charge before the Chief Magistrate and that there was nothing else against his clients in court. Magistrate David said there was just one matter before her. She then discharged both policemen and told them they were free to go. This is the second time that Nicholson and Snaggs have been freed in court.

On March 5, Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls discharged both policemen at the close of the prosecution’s case in the preliminary inquiry. Mc Nicolls discharged the policemen after finding there was not enough evidence to commit the policemen. Both policemen were charged with corruptly receiving for themselves $320 from Andrews and Cedeno as an inducement to forbear criminal charges being preferred against Andrews and Cedeno. Corporal Rocky Mohammed, of the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB), laid both charges.