Jamaat al-Muslimeen leader Imam Yasin Abu Bakr adopted a cavalier attitude yesterday as he took the witness stand in his own defence, denying any involvement in a plot to kill two former members of his mosque.
By Darren BahawAbu Bakr, 63, the man who led a six-day bloody attempted coup in 1990, on three occasions told the jury that he was not concerned about the allegations made against him by Brent "Big Brent" Miller and Brent "Small Brent" Danglade, but rather considered the entire episode "a joke".
He said he was not aware that he was charged with a serious offence since he believed, "Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbour".
"I don't consider this a serious charge. The law of God is binding against all of us, including Mr Cassel (the lead prosecutor)," Abu Bakr stated, repeating, "I consider this a big joke."
In the 35 minutes the accused spent on the witness stand being questioned by lead defence attorney Pamela Elder, SC, he distanced himself from Miller and David "Buffy" Millard and Dwight, three of the men the State says he conspired with to kill Salim "Small Salim" Rasheed and Zaki Aubaidah, his son-in-law.
Both Miller and Danglade had testified earlier that they attended a meeting at Buffy's Citrine Drive, Diamond Vale, Diego Martin, home on June 4, 2003, where Abu Bakr gave instructions to kill Salim and Zaki because the two men were giving trouble.
"I was not in a house in Diamond Vale with Big Brent, Small Brent nor medium-size Brent," Abu Bakr responded, when asked by his attorney whether he had been in a house at Diamond Vale on June 4, 2003.
Asked specifically where he had been on June 4, 2003, Abu Bakr replied that he had four wives and a busy schedule.
"I don't have a deputy, a sheriff, a cowgirl or a marshal. I work with UNESCO. I have a very busy schedule in my life," he said.
He denied he gave any instructions to Buffy and Miller that Salim and Zaki had to be killed that very night but "I can't say with certainty where I was on June 4, 2003".
Abu Bakr said Zaki was married to a daughter of one of his four wives and Zaki lived in a house next door to one of his four homes.
He told the jurors that Buffy, Miller, Danglade and Dwight were not members of the Jamaat and therefore Buffy could not be second in command at the mosque nor could Miller be third in command, as Miller had testified.
Abu Bakr testified that for the past 24 years he has worked with UNESCO and was frequently out of the country, and the person who assumes leadership at the Jamaat must be able to lead the prayer session among other religious duties.
"I don't know how someone could be third in command and cannot say an Islamic prayer," he said.
Abu Bakr said to become a member of the Jamaat one had to undergo a process of training to instill obedience and discipline among its members since many members came from the ghetto, the lowest strata in society.
He said as part of his work with UNESCO he was involved in alternative dispute resolution and solved problems in communities, including gang warfare.
Abu Bakr said he had been asked once by a government minister to intervene in a situation at Caledonia where there had been nine murders in two weeks.
"I went into that community and after a meeting there was an end to those killings in Caledonia. That was the first time I met Brent Miller," he said.
He said he later saw Miller attending the Mucurapo Road, St James, mosque with Buffy and he assumed Miller was a Muslim because he (Miller) would try to pray.
"I was amazed when he said he was a Roman Catholic. It shows people are masquerading as Muslims. I was astonished," he said.
Abu Bakr said Miller was not one of the Jamaat members who participated in the July 27, 1990, attempted coup to overthrow the then NAR administration and had not participated in any type of training at the Jamaat.
He admitted that he visited Miller in prison after Miller had been charged with murder and other related offences arising out of the June 4, 2003, MovieTowne shooting ,which left Jilla Bowen dead and Salim and Adil Ghany injured.
The accused said he had just returned from Geneva when Miller's girlfriend and mother visited him and told him that Miller wanted to see him. He said he arranged a visit to see Miller and did so in the company of the two women.
He denied he told Miller at that visit that he (Abu Bakr) will meet with "Salim and them to work it out". He said that was absurd since Salim had already been expelled from the Jamaat and he had accused Salim on a radio programme of causing mischief in the land and promised to personally administer strokes against him.
Abu Bakr said Miller had visited his home before Miller had been charged in relation to the MovieTowne shooting and complained that his (Miller's) name was being called in the MovieTowne shooting and he knew nothing about it.
The accused said Miller said at that meeting that "Salim and them trying to set him up" and he (the accused) asked Miller whether he had anything to do with the incident.
"I told him (Miller) if he knew nothing there is no need to worry," Abu Bakr said.
The accused said in 2003 he had expelled Salim, Zaki and Kazim Rasheed and made a public statement during Friday prayers that anyone seen in the company of the three expelled men would be automatically expelled.
He said many people have since left the Jamaat as a consequence.
Asked why the three men had been expelled, Abu Bakr said he did not "wish to assassinate anyone's character" but that "they were involved in wrongdoings" which were not associated with the Jamaat.
On August 21, 2003, Abu Bakr said ASP Ruthven Paul approached him at Kent House, Maraval, saying, "Phillo, how you doing. We have some questions to ask you about the MovieTowne shooting," to which he responded, "This is a joke."
"All this seems as a joke to me, a most serious joke, but it is still a joke," he said.
The accused said he knew Paul when he (Abu Bakr) served as a police officer for ten years and asked the officer if he had a warrant for his arrest. He said when he was informed that there was no warrant he agreed to drive his own car to the police station and was accompanied by Paul along the journey.
He said during an interview with Cpl Jayson Forde that day he was asked about his whereabouts on June 4, 2003, and told the officer that he might have been at Petrotrin. He said he could not say definitely where he had been since he was being questioned about his whereabouts some two months after.
"On that day I can't say if anything specific happened," he said.
The accused said he knew he was working at Petrotrin during that period and even gave Forde the vehicle number he had used to enter the compound of the State-owned oil company in the event the officer wanted "to check it out".
"You cannot enter Petrotrin unless your vehicle is inspected," he said, and identified a certificate which had been issued for his vehicle, a blue Toyota Prado (PBN 8551), to allow it access into the compound. The certificate was admitted into evidence and shown to the jury.
He told the jury that he had driven onto Petrotrin's compound on several occasions without any pass being issued to him to gain access to the West Salvage Site since the guards on duty knew him as well as the vehicle he drove.
The trial continues this morning, when Abu Bakr is expected to be cross-examined by Cassel.
