Summary trial for south cop on bribery charges

TWO charges were re-read to a police officer in the San Fernando magistrates' court this morning for taking a bribe to forego charging a man with stealing a car.

PC Adrian Mungal appeared before senior magistrate Jo-Ann Connor.

The police prosecutor said the office of the Director of Public Prosecution had recommended summary trial.

Connor then read the charge to Mungal that on May 5, 2016, being a member of the police service, together with another person, he corruptly attempted to obtain $6,000 from Marlon Mendoza, as a reward to forbear an act in relation to his principal affair, to charge him for larceny of a vehicle.

She read a second charge to Mungal, who was at the time stationed at Ste Madeleine Police Station, that on May 11, 2016, being an agent of the State, he corruptly received $3,500 from Mendoza to forbear an act of charging him with larceny of a vehicle, PDP 9278

Asked how he pleaded, Mungal replied, "Not guilty."

He was represented by Keiva Arjoonsingh.

When he was arrested in May, 2016, the charges were read to him, but he was not called upon to plead. A magistrate would have conducted a preliminary inquiry while a state attorney prosecuted, to determine if a prima-facie case had been made out to commit him to stand trial before a judge and jury.

But this morning Seedan told Connor that the State had decided to recommend summary trial. Such trials take place in the magistrates' court.

Seedan then said the police have ten statements and seven witnesses. He told Connor the police would be seeking to prosecute Mungal, 32, both through written statements and oral evidence from the witness box.

The case was postponed to October 9.