(Trinidad Express) SECURITY in and around the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court was increased yesterday as former LifeSport programme co-ordinator Rajaee Ali appeared before a magistrate charged with being a gang leader and conspiracy to murder.
Heavily armed and masked officers of the Criminal Gang and Intelligence Unit blocked traffic along St Vincent Street outside the courthouse as Ali and five other people, including a woman, were brought to court around 11 a.m.
They were brought to court on charges contrary to the Anti-Gang Act, possession of arms and ammunition to endanger life, and conspiracy to murder radio disc jockey Kevaughn “Lurbz” Savory.
All the offences are alleged to have taken place on November 27 in Port of Spain.
Ali, and the other accused were remanded in custody given that people charged under the Anti-Gang legislation cannot be granted bail for a period of 120 days.
Outside the Eighth Court where Ali, Keshon Dempster, Ishmael Ali, Brandon Borneo, Brent LaCroix and Donna Dyer appeared before Senior Magistrate Nanette Forde-John, other armed officers stood guard for the duration of their appearance.
The accused made their appearance shortly after midday and were not called upon to plead to any of the indictable charges.
Attorney, Insp Richard Taylor of the Police Service’s legal department, objected to bail being granted on the charges which did not fall under the Anti-Gang Act, pointing out the seriousness of the alleged offences and the fact that the accused criminal background traces were not obtained up to the time of their appearance.
In response to Taylor’s submissions, defence attorney Criston J Williams argued that the prosecutor’s grounds for objecting to bail were insufficient, saying Taylor needed to present subsequent grounds such as the likelihood of them committing further offences while out on bail or the likelihood of them fleeing the jurisdiction.
He also made an application for disclosure of copies of any judge’s warrant related to the Interception of Communication Act; copies of his clients’ custody records; interview notes and oral utterances his clients may have made and the names of the senior officers of the Belmont, Morvant, Woodbrook and Central Police stations who would have reviewed the grounds for the detention of the accused.
The attorney also made an application for disclosure of any camera footage related to the offences captured on the day they were allegedly committed.
Williams said he was instructed by his clients that they were fearful they may be harmed if remanded at the Port of Spain Prison on Frederick Street and he asked the magistrate that they instead be remanded at the Maximum Security Prison in Arouca.
Forde-John said the court did not have the power to dictate where prisoners were detained as this was the responsibility of the Prison Service.
The matter was adjourned to December 22 when the court will address the issue of bail as it relates to the offences that do not fall under the Anti-Gang Act.
