Nandlall denies stealing $2M in Law Reports

May 30, 2017 News

Yesterday, Former Attorney General (AG) and Opposition Parliamentarian Anil Nandlall pleaded not guilty to a larceny charge which alleged that he stole some $2M in LexisNexis Law Reports of the Commonwealth belonging to the

CHARGED: Former AG Anil Nandlall

Ministry of Legal Affairs.
Nandlall was charged on April 26, but was not required to plead to the charge since it was laid indictably. Special Prosecutor Patrice Henry had requested more time for ranks to conduct investigations in the matter before applying the Administration of Justice Act (AJA).
Prosecutor Henry reported that investigations were completed and that he was ready for trial, which resulted in Nandlall being served with statements.
The trial will commence on June 5 before City Magistrate Fabayo Azore.
The former AG has been released on self bail.
According to Nandlall, when he took up the post of Attorney General he did so at a loss, and it was for that reason he agitated for the state to pay for the Law Reports.
He had said that the arrangement received the blessings of 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 (FMAA).
It was only recently that Nandlall sued current Attorney General Williams for $125M, for what he saw as 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 Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) from seizing the 15 LexisNexis Law reports.
The battery of lawyers representing the former AG include 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.