Trinidad and Tobago Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday spent last night in jail, having refused to take bail yesterday after being charged with corruption.
By Prior BeharryAlso charged were his wife Oma Panday, former works minister under the UNC regime and CL Financial executive Carlos John, and Northern Construction Ltd (NCL) chairman Ishwar (Ish) Galbaransingh.
Panday was arrested by members of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau (ACIB) at the Opposition Office at Charles Street, Port of Spain, just after meeting a delegation of Indian MPs who were in the country for the Indian Arrival Day celebrations over the weekend. Members of the delegation, including Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, were present when the officers arrived.
Heavily armed officers had earlier in the day searched the Bryans Gate home of Panday, who was in Port of Spain at the time.
Mrs Panday later surrendered to the ACIB with her attorneys Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Prakash Ramadhar. All the accused were taken to the ACIB offices at Henry Street, Port of Spain, before being escorted to the St Vincent Street Court.
Mrs Panday, the last to be arrested and charged, appeared before Clerk of the Peace III Eugene Prince at the Port of Spain Magistrates' Court just before 5 p.m. yesterday.
The three men appeared separately before Magistrate Ejenny Espinet in the Port of Spain First Magistrates' Court.
Galbaransingh was coincidentally sitting in the docks of the Port of Spain Magistrates' Court yesterday, facing other charges arising out of the Piarco Airport Development Project (PADP).
When that preliminary enquiry was adjourned for the day, ACIB officers arrested Galbaransingh, who was represented by attorney Rajiv Persad, as he left the court and then took him to the ACIB's Henry Street offices before returning him to court.
Panday and his wife are each charged with corruptly receiving £25,000 or over $250,000 on December 30, 1998 from Galbaransingh and John in an account to favour NCL in getting Construction Package 3 (CP 3) in the Piarco Airport Development Project (PADP).
Galbaransingh and John are charged with allegedly corruptly giving Panday and his wife over $250,000 on December 24, 1998 to favour NCL in CP 3.
Panday, his wife and John were each allowed bail in the sum of $750,000 while Galbaransingh was issued bail in the sum of $1 million.
Smiling broadly, Panday arrived before Espinet and gave the thumb's up to the handful of supporters who had gathered in the court.
He told the magistrate he had no legal representation in the matter and intended to represent himself throughout the proceedings.
Attorneys Robin Montano and Prakash Ramadhar were present in court and Panday had a brief word with Ramadhar before speaking to Espinet.
Around 4.45 p.m., an unmarked white Lancer was reversed into the section of the Magistrates' Court where prisoners are loaded into prison vans and Panday was hustled into the back seat, sandwiched by two police officers.
All he said in response to questions from reporters was: "Didn't we all expect this?"
At political meetings after allegations of corruption arose against the ruling PNM, Panday had said that more members of the UNC would be arrested as a distraction from those allegations.
He had also told supporters that the next time he was charged they should not take his bail.
Panday, a former prime minster, is also before the courts for failing to declare a London bank account.
It is not the first time that Panday has been to jail.
He was arrested and jailed in 1975 while on a march to Port of Spain on March 18.
That day came to be known as "Bloody Tuesday" when Panday (who had formed the United Labour Front (ULF) one month before), John Humphrey and then president general of the Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU) George Weekes, were arrested and jailed during the term of the then PNM administration under prime minister Dr Eric Williams.
Sources said last night that Panday was being kept at the State Prison, Frederick Street, Port of Spain.
He will stay in the remand yard and be taken to court only on days when his matters are called, unless his bail is taken.
Panday's, John's and Galbaransingh's matters have all been adjourned to June 7, while Mrs Panday is to appear today before Espinet.
Galbaransingh and Mrs Panday were mum when leaving the court while John, who was represented by Sophia Chote, said only: "Once your conscience is clear, you are cool."
