Judge sends man to jail for contempt of court

A HIGH Court judge yesterday ordered a man jailed for 21 days for contempt of court.

Police, acting on the order of Justice James Aboud, are to arrest Basdeo Balkissoon, of La Romaine, to take him to prison for flagrantly disobeying the judge’s order to hand over a boat, trailer and an engine to his fellow-villager.

The contempt action was filed by Delano Simms’ attorney Robin Ramoutar, after a lawsuit he filed against Balkissoon on Simms’ behalf. The case involves a land transaction. Simms, of La Romaine, sued Balkissoon for $69,000 which represented a down payment for a plot of land. Simms claimed Balkissoon agreed in writing to sell him the land which the latter purported to be his entitlement as an ex-Caroni (1975) Ltd employee. The purchase price was $170,000. A contract of sale was written in which Simms made the down payment to Balkissoon.

Through Ramoutar, Simms claimed that when the deed of transfer was drawn up, he approached Balkissoon to pay the balance and transfer the land. However, he claimed Balkissoon told him that he no longer wished to sell the land.

Simms requested his $69,000, but in his lawsuit he contended that Balkissoon refused to return it.

At a hearing before Aboud on September 26, in the San Fernando High Court, Balkissoon agreed to give Simms a boat, trailer and engine which he could have sold to recover the money. The judge drafted an order to that effect.

However, Balkissoon has not obeyed the order and Ramoutar filed contempt of court proceedings.