State needs more time in case against Ramlogan, Ramdeen

THE prosecution is still not ready to proceed in the corruption case against former attorney general Anand Ramlogan and former UNC senator Gerald Ramdeen who are alleged to have conspired to financially reward themselves with fees from legal briefs from the State.

Prosecutors on Wednesday asked for additional time to file statements in the matters. Presiding over the matters is Chief Magistrate Maria Busby Earle-Caddle.

They indicated they have 18 more statements to submit but they were not yet sworn or filed and would be able to do so in 14 days.

Also called was the witness tampering prosecution of Ramlogan which is also being heard by the chief magistrate.

Both matters were heard by virtual hearing. However, despite numerous requests, the media was not given access to the hearing of either of the cases which were adjourned to December 14.

In the witness tampering case, Ramlogan is accused of misbehaviour in public office and obstruction of justice. He was charged in 2017.

The charge against him surrounds an allegation by Police Complaints Authority director David West that Ramlogan approached him to withdraw his witness statement in a defamation case against then opposition leader Dr Rowley in 2014.

At a previous hearing, Ramlogan’s attorneys said they intended to question West, Police Commissioner Gary Griffith and Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi who were all expected to give statements in the matter.

Griffith, who was then the minister of national security, and Ramlogan, who was AG at the time, were fired from the Cabinet in 2015 after police started an investigation.

In the corruption kickback case, Ramlogan and Ramdeen are accused of conspiring with Jamaican-born Queen’s Counsel Vincent Nelson for the former attorney general to misbehave in public office as AG by accepting sums of money representing a reward from Nelson for granting him State briefs.

It is further alleged that they conspired for Ramdeen to receive, conceal, and transfer criminal property which represented corrupt rewards given to Ramlogan by Nelson for the State briefs.

The third allegation against the two is that they conspired for Nelson to give ten per cent of the paid legal fees to Ramlogan as a “gift” or “reward” for being granted those State briefs.

They were charged in May 2019,

In March, Nelson, who, in June 2019, pleaded guilty to his part in the alleged kickback scheme, was ordered to pay $2.25 million restitution in fines as part of the plea bargain arrangement between him and the State. As part of the plea deal, he agreed to turn state witness and testify against Ramlogan and Ramdeen.