Wednesday, October 19, 2011

4 cops in court on stolen casino money charges

After two years of wrangling, the preliminary inquiry into charges that four police officers pocketed stolen casino money in 2009 officially began October 17 with the State’s first witness giving evidence.

State prosecutor Sanara Toon called Anti-corruption Bureau officer, Woman Corporal Annmarie Mac Millian, as her first witness in the matter before acting Deputy Chief Magistrate Rajendra Rambachan.

The officers—Cpl Deopersad Jankienanan, Cpl Kishan Harrysingh, PC Anslem Drakes and PC Regan Ramnanan—are facing charges of misbehaving in public office.

They allegedly failed, without reasonable cause or excuse, to hand over to the investigator of a robbery on August 21, 2009 at Club Avenue, Duncan Village, San Fernando, an undetermined sum of money which was part of money taken and recovered. Harrysingh, Drakes and Jankienanan are facing charges of misbehaviour in public office by stealing an undetermined sum of cash from the casino. Jankienanan also faces, together with Ramnanan, an additional charge of beating prisoner Mark Austin while he was in police custody.

Mac Millian testified for just over one-and-a-half hours and was cross-examined by attorney Jagdeo Singh, who appeared for Jankienanan. Attorney Chateram Sinanan also cross-examined Mac Millian. Attorney Vernon de Lima, who represents Drakes, reserved his cross-examination. Attorney Kevin Ratiram, who represents Ramnanan, was not in court yesterday. Toon, through Mac Millian, tendered two documents into evidence.

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