…civil proceedings for reputational damage to follow – Attorney
The Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts were packed to capacity on Tuesday afternoon with several former top Government officials, when former Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh and former NICIL’s Privatisation Unit Head, Winston Brassington appeared to answer to three charges of misconduct in public office.
Former Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh and former Head of NICIL’s Privatisation Unit, Winston Brassington
Both men appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan who granted them $2 million bail on each of the three joint charges, despite the defence attorney had sought a reduction for these amounts to $1 million for all three charges for each person.
The two former Government officials were charged for allegedly selling several plots of land on the East Coast of Demerara to National Hardware Guyana Ltd for over $598 million; Scady Business Corporation at a cost of $150 million, and to Multi-cinemas Guyana Inc at a cost of $185 million. The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) had filed the charges against the two former Government officials early last month.
During Tuesday’s hearing, lead attorney for the defendants, Anil Nandlall said both men are no flight risk and they have no criminal record, nor were they served with a summons to attend court. He requested that the former Government officials be released on their own recognizance.
Some of their supporters outside the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts
However, although Nandlall was backed by a large team of lawyers, which included Mark Waldron, Ronald Burch-Smith, Stanley Moore, Priya Manickchand, Sase Gunraj, Euclin Gomes, and Marcia Nadir-Sharma, Special Prosecutor in the case Trenton Lake argued that the accused could stand bail. He told the court that both defendants are subject in other investigations being conducted by the SOCU.
In his defence, Nandlall said Lake’s argument that his clients could acquire their bails is not grounds to make the offence bailable. He said too that there is no fundamental evidence to support the arguments that the defendants will not appear in court to stand trial. On that basis, Nandlall said considerations should be given to their track record and status.
Further, Nandlall requested that the charges to be read summarily instead of indictably. However, Lake objected explaining that he is not positioned to disclose the files on the charges. The Prosecutor told the court that because additional investigations are ongoing, it would be untimely to do so.
But the lead attorney for the defendants argued strongly that no effort was ever made to serve Singh and Brassington with the summons. While explaining that his clients work overseas, Nandlall noted that both men voluntarily appeared in court and there was no reason why they would not attend court again.
Meanwhile, Senior Council Stanley Moore, who is representing Brassington, said his client voluntarily returned to Guyana to answer to the charges so as to allow the course of justice to take place. He said both men came back so that they can stand trial, so that their innocence could be vindicated in a court of law, and it is an indication that they have no intentions of absconding.
During his arguments, Nandlall, a former senior Government Minister himself, told the court that the charges are an expression of political victimisation against his clients and it is unfortunate that the administration of justice has to be contaminated in the manner that it has.
Following the court proceedings, both men were escorted by Police in handcuffs and placed in the prisoner’s dock where they waited for a few minutes before being released. Nandlall described the act of handcuffing Singh and Brassington as dehumanising and one that sought to humiliate these two former senior Government officials, who served the country with distinction.
Nandlall said once the current charges are over, there will be a barrage of civil proceedings that will be fielded for reputational damage caused to the duo. The attorney noted that persons are going to be charged personally for their involvement in the matter, and not the State alone.
Singh and Brassington are due to return to court on June 5.
