Warrant issued for judge’s brother

A HIGH Court Judge has ordered that the brother of a high court judge be arrested and jailed for contempt of court.

Lochan Moosai, managing director of Moosai Development Company, was sentenced to jail for 21 days, by Justice David Myers, who issued a warrant for Moosai’s arrest. Lochan Moosai is the brother of Justice Prakash Moosai. Justice Myers made the order against Moosai (L) for failing to obey a High Court order in a $1.5 million High Court judgement against him. The judgement was obtained last year by Intercommercial Bank Limited (ICBL), against Moosai of Target Road, El Dorado. Moosai (L) is also indebted to ICBL for $23 million and according to documents filed in the Sub-Registry, San Fer-nando, he has failed to pay the sum.

The sum represented monies Moosai borrowed from ICBL to construct several secondary schools. Contracts for the schools were awared by the previous United National Congress government under its Sec-ondary Education Moder-nisation Programme, SEMP. Inter-Commercial Bank Limited is a recently formed financial institution operating in this country and is owned and managed by Indian-born steel magnate, Laxmi Mithal. On July 22, 2002, ICBL obtained judgement against Moosai in the sum of $1,517,684.95 at 16 1/2 per cent interest. The monies were not paid and on July 31, Master Patricia Sobion ordered Moosai to attend court on November 22, to give oral evidence of his revenue and assets.

Moosai (L) failed to attend court and Master Sobion adjourned the case to December 19. On that day the case was again adjourned to January 29, 2003. Still there was no appearance by Moosai and Master Sobion transfered the case to a Judge in Chambers for Moosai’s committal for contempt of court. The case came up for hearing last Friday before Justice Myers. Attorneys Lynette Maharaj SC, Shastri Prasad, instructed by Norma Maynard Marshall and Dinesh Rambally, represented ICBL. Moosai did not put in an appearance, and Justice Myers presiding in the Second Civil Court ordered that he should be committed to the Golden Grove Prison, Arouca, to be imprisoned for 21 days. However, the judge further ordered that Moosai be given until next Friday to attend court to show why he should not be sent to jail. The judge granted leave for ICBL’s attorneys to serve the committal order on Moosai by publishing it in a daily newspaper.