The sister of an accused in the July 12, 2011 $7.2 million robbery committed at businessman Malcolm Panday’s Bel Air home was yesterday remanded to prison by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on a charge of obstructing justice.
Seuranie Rampersaud, 56, of 692 Cummings Lodge is accused of making a telephone call to a sister of one of the prosecution witnesses in the robbery on October 1, 2012, and threatening to kill her and her family.
Rampersaud pleaded not guilty.
Seuranie Rampersaud is the sister of Chandraradha Rampersaud and mother of Hardat Kumar, both of whom are accused in the robbery case. The other defendants in the robbery case are Jermaine Mitchell, Aubrey Simon and Rayon Jones.
Attorney Glenn Hanoman, Special Prosecutor in the robbery matter, in presenting the facts of the case said that on the day in question, the defendant made a telephone call to one Mohinie Seemangal, sister of Rabindranauth Seemangal.
Rabindranauth was a co-accused in the robbery, but later became a witness for the prosecution after pleading guilty to the charge and being sentenced.
He is now testifying against his former co-accused.
According to Hanoman, during the phone call, Seuranie Rampersaud threatened to kill Mohinie and her family if her brother, Rabindranauth, testified against Chandraradha Rampersaud and Kumar.
Hanoman said Seuranie Rampersaud denied ever making any such a phone call when the allegation was put to her. However, he added, the prosecution is in possession of evidence in the form of telephone records substantiating that the call was in fact made.
He said the reason the matter took such a lengthy time before being taken to court was because of the time needed for investigations and phone records to be received.
The prosecutor told the court it was not the first time persons had attempted to interfere with the robbery matter. As a result, he objected to Seuranie Rampersaud being granted pretrial liberty.
He said that a former prosecutor who he identified as Prosecutor Harvey, an investigating detective by the name of Odell Percival and Kumar, were all charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice in the robbery trial.
The prosecution argued that the only way to keep Seuranie Rampersaud from communicating and further tampering with other witnesses is to keep her in custody.
She was subsequently remanded to prison.
The matter will be called again on Friday at Court Five for statements.
Panday’s wife Annie Ramsood was robbed on July 12, 2011 of $7.2 million at her Bel Air home.
Chandraradha Rampersaud is Panday’s mother-in-law.
The allegation against Jermaine Mitchell, Aubrey Simon, Rayon Jones, Kumar, and Chandraradha is that on July 12 at Bel Air Gardens, being armed with a gun, they robbed Ramsood of $1.4 million and US$29,000, all totalling $7.2 million.
