Attorney Glenn Hanoman yesterday said he was not notified of the hearing on Thursday when the trial of his client, former Attorney-General Anil Nandlall, resumed in a Georgetown court.
Nandlall is currently on trial before Magistrate Fabayo Azore on a fraudulent conversion charge. However, both he and Hanoman were absent at Thursday’s hearing, where the magistrate signalled that she would grant a request by Special Prosecutor Patrice Henry to issue an arrest warrant if he is absent from the next hearing.
Henry had requested an adjournment and made an application for a notice to be sent to Nandlall informing him of the next court date. He subsequently indicated that should Nandlall fail to show up on the next court date, a request will be made for an arrest warrant to be issued.
However, in a press statement issued yesterday, Hanoman stated that the absence of both he and his client was not deliberate as they were unaware that the matter was being called on Thursday. Hanoman also stated that when the matter was called on the last occasion, neither the magistrate nor the special prosecutor was available for the hearing and no new date were given to them despite the promises of the clerk to do so.
“It is unfortunate that the learned Prosecutor signaled an intent to resort to the draconian recourse of seeking an arrest warrant for my client on the next occasion when he is so familiar with the whereabouts of both my client and I, who are both officially located less than a stone’s throw away from court and with whom he interacts on a regular basis,” the statement added.
The trial is scheduled to continue on June 29th, 2019.
The charge against Nandlall alleges that between May 8th, 2015 and May 29th, 2015, at Georgetown, being a bailee and Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, having 14 law reports, valued at $2,313,853 and property of the Ministry of Legal Affairs, he fraudulently took or converted the reports to his own use and benefit.
