US citizen Raoul Gutierrez was released on $2 million cash bail yesterday, after he appeared before Senior Magistrate Lianne Lee Kim on fraud charges at the Port-of-Spain 4A Court.
By Michael MondezieGutierrez, who was associated with the now-defunct Birk and Hillman Consultants in the US, was among 17 people, including former government ministers and UNC financiers, charged last year with fraud arising out of the $1.6 billion Piarco Airport development project.
Gutierrez, a resident of Hables, Florida, could not be summoned to appear in initial hearings, since he was out of the jurisdiction of local law enforcement.
However, he surrendered to local police on Tuesday night, accompanied by his attorney, Palmer Elder SC, in lieu of being extradited to this country.
Senior Supt Maurice Piggott of the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau, who charged Gutierrez, executed the warrant for his arrest and brought him to court yesterday.
Elder asked Lee Kim to take into consideration the unforced surrender of her client and allow bail to be made out as a certified cheque, since he did not possess any collateral in T&T.
Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Carla Brown-Antoine had no objections to Elder?s bail proposal.
Gutierrez is charged with being the beneficiary of payments totalling $43 million, $536 million and $455.15 million in three instances.
The State claims the three instances also involved local businessmen Ishwar Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson.
Dressed in khaki trousers and a lilac plaid shirt, the white-haired Gutierrez appeared calm as he stood before Lee Kim.
Piggott told the court a fingerprint tracing revealed Gutierrez had no previous record.
After signing his bail Gutierrez, marshalled by his defence team led by Elder, made a hasty exit from the court and sped away in a waiting car.
He is scheduled to reappear before Magistrate Ejenny Espinet on November 30.
Gutierrez was the final accused to be arrested in the airport probe, which started almost three years ago.
The hearing will resume on December 1.
