Magistrate: Inquiry must be completed by Carnival

THE Preliminary Inquiry into the murder of Dr Chandra Naraynsingh is expected to end before Carnival. Deputy Chief Magistrate Mark Wellington, who is presiding over the hearing in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court, said yesterday he did not want the inquiry to run into next month when Carnival celebrations would be in full swing. “I don’t want this (inquiry) to fall into February with Carnival coming up,” Magistrate Wellington told the attorneys representing the State and defence. Wellington took the tentative decision yesterday that hearings would be heard every day next week, except Thursday. The inquiry began on December 17 and yesterday was the seventh hearing in which Prof Vijay Naraynsingh, his wife Seeromanie and businessman Elton Ramasir, are charged with Dr Chandra’s murder.

Chandra was Prof Naraynsingh’s former wife. She was gunned down on June 29, 1994, outside the Langmore Health Foundation. When the  magistrate suggested that hearings would be held on consecutive days next week, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard objected to the court sitting on Thursday.  Attorneys for Naraynsingh, Seeromanie and Ramasir agreed to the four-day sitting. “We have to keep this moving,” Wellington said. “Let’s not get bogged down.” Fifteen witnesses have since given evidence in the inquiry. Yesterday, the State’s main witness, Junior Morris, was cross-examined for the second consecutive day, with attorney Prakash Ramadhar questioning him for the entire three and a half-hours of hearing. Morris was first called as a witness by the State last week.

Magistrate Wellington’s move to have daily hearings of the preliminary inquiry, came after other prisoners who appeared before him yesterday, continued to protest that their matters were not starting in the Magistrates’ Court. Last week Friday, some prisoners protested in the courtroom and had to be restrained by policemen. Yesterday morning, the magistrate postponed about 15 cases for later this month. Queen’s Counsel Karl Hudson Phillips is defending Prof Naraynsingh, with attorney Ravi Rajcoomar. Attorney Prakash Ramadhar is leading the defence for the accused professor’s wife, with Sophia Chote, Chateram Sinnanan and Brian Dabideen. Attorney Larry Lalla and Vishwanath Rambarran are representing Ramasir. Hearing continues tomorrow at 10.15 am, when Ramadhar will continue cross-examination of Morris.