Panday Jailed for two years
PORT-OF-SPAIN â Lawyers for incarcerated Trinidad and Tobago Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday returned before High Court Judge Anthony Carmona on Wednesday to seek to convince him to release their client on bail pending the hearing of Panday’s appeal.
This means that up to press time Wednesday night, Panday was still an inmate at the Maximum Security Prison in Arouca.{{more}}
Panday, 72, of Bryan’s Gate, Phillipine, San Fernando, was convicted of three charges of failing to declare a London bank account to the Integrity Commission by Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls on Monday and sentenced to the maximum penalty, two years in jail and fined $20,000 on each charge.
McNicolls also made an order of forfeiture directing the former prime minister to repay the State £159 600.35 (TT$1.59 million), money which was held in the bank account for the years ending 1997, 1998 and 1999.
The Chief Magistrate also turned down a request made by Panday’s attorneys to allow Panday to be free on bail pending the hearing of the appeal.
Panday’s lawyers on Tuesday also lodged an official appeal against both his conviction and sentence before Clerk of the Peace Eugene Prince, at the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court.
Among the complaints listed in the appeal are: the magistrate had no jurisdiction to preside over the case, the court exceeded its jurisdiction in the matter, Panday is not guilty because the decision of the magistrate is unreasonable and/or cannot be supported having regard to the evidence, the decision is wrong in law and that the sentence imposed is unduly severe.
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