Former AG Nandlall slapped with larceny charge

Apr 28, 2017 News

…in connection with Law Reports

By Brushell Blackman
Former Attorney General and People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament Anil Nandlall was yesterday arrested and charged with larceny in connection with 15 LexisNexis Law Reports Of The Commonwealth

Former AG Anil Nandlall arrives at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts yesterday.

that were bought by the State for Nandlall’s own use.
Nandlall was brought to the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts by SOCU agents and as he stood in the prisoner’s dock the charge, Larceny by Bailee, was read to him by Magistrate Fabayo Azore, to which he was not required to enter a plea because of the indictable nature of the offence.
In his application for bail, Nandlall’s Attorney Glenn Hanoman said that his client is a well-known public figure and is a former Attorney General, and poses no flight risk. Hanoman asked that Nandlall be placed on self-bail, since it would have been difficult for his client to acquire a substantial amount of cash at that time if it were needed.
Prosecutor Patrice Henry did not object to bail and Nandlall was released on self-bail and is to return to court on May 9.
Earlier Nandlall was brought to the court in the custody of SOCU, but was returned to that entity after Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and Magistrate Fabayo Azore refused to hear the matter, as both legal officials indicated that they were not in possession of the case file.
In court five, Nandlall’s lawyer was up in arms after Magistrate Azore was unwavering in her position of not hearing the case. There was a ‘testy’ exchange between the magistrate and Hanoman, who said that the law dictates that a matter be heard once a magistrate was available.
Magistrate Azore said that she had an appointment, and in fact she had only one case at the time, and Nandlall’s was not it.
The court was adjourned and after much intervention by the battery of lawyers that represented the accused, the matter was heard by Magistrate Azore. On resumption of the case, she reprimanded Hanoman for cross-talking to her in the courtroom. She informed him that in her court such would not be allowed to happen, and for his part, Hanoman apologized to the magistrate.
Addressing the large media contingent that was in the court environs after his release, Nandlall said that the charge is politically motivated and that it was his constant criticisms of the sitting Attorney General Basil Williams, SC, that has landed him in hot water.
He said that he will not be cowered into making his views known about the transgressions of the AG and the APNU+AFC administration. The outspoken former AG branded the charge as ‘nonsense’ and was confident that the matter will get nowhere.
Nandlall was asked why the State should pay for the books that he was using. He replied that when he took the job as Attorney General at the time, he did so at a loss of income. It was for that reason he agitated for the State to pay for the law reports that cost over $2.3M.
The arrangement, he stressed, had the blessings of the then Head of State Donald Ramotar. However investigators are contending that because the books were bought with State funds they cannot be the property of Nandlall, and in fact, the State should not have entered into such an arrangement in the first place.
The Ministry of Legal Affairs is contending that there is no evidence of the agreement between Nandlall and Ramotar, and even assuming that there was such an agreement, the use of public funds in this manner is a flagrant violation of the Financial Management and Accountability Act.
It was only recently that Nandlall sued Williams for $125M for what he deemed were libelous and slanderous claims in relation to the said Law Reports. He also secured a Conservatory Order from the Supreme Court, preventing the State and the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) from seizing the 15 Law Reports.
In a release, the PPP/C condemned the arrest of Nandlall and saw it as a prolongation of an inconsequential issue totally unrelated to the mandate of SOCU. The party said this latest move demonstrates once again the repressive and vindictive nature of the APNU+AFC coalition government.
The battery of lawyers that represented the former AG included Mursaline Bacchus, Bibi Shaddick, Odai Ramischand, Priya Manickchand, Adrian Anamayah, Euclin Gomes, Sase Gunraj, Manoj Narayan, C.V Satram, L. Mark Conway, Sasha S. Mahadeo-Narayan, Rajendra R. Jaigobin and Glenn Hanoman.

One thought on “Former AG Nandlall slapped with larceny charge”

Fedup / GT April 28, 2017 at 5:50 am

One man with thirteen lawyers to represent him and poor people cannot even afford one lawyer.
These wicked people