Sharmila Inderjali and Maryanna Lionel, who are on trial for allegedly offering a policeman $4 million in cash to release the men accused in the murder of Number 70 Village carpenter Faiyaz Narinedatt, yesterday led their defence in unsworn testimony in which they claimed that the money was intended to be used as bail for the men.
It is alleged that the two women corruptly offered $4 million to Detective Sergeant Kamal Pitamal on the 19th of November, 2016, at Eve Leary, to forego charges against the suspects in custody for the murder as well as Marcus Bisram, who was overseas and wanted by local authorities in connection with the crime. Bisram is the son of Inderjali.
When the women appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly yesterday, they were told that the court would be allowing each to lead a defence to the charge. They both opted to do so through unsworn testimony.
Lionel, the daughter of one of the murder accused, spoke first and told the court that on the day in question she had received information that her father and the others would be placed on bail and that she had to take the money to the station. “I went there to pay the bail and the police start to say all kind stuff to me,” she said before maintaining her innocence.
Inderjali started by saying she was also innocent of the charge and claimed she had gone to accompany Lionel to post bail for her father and the others.
Inderjali was halfway through her testimony when Police Prosecutor Richard Harris made it known to the court that it looked as though the woman was reading from her phone. When the magistrate asked whether she was, she admitted that indeed she had typed her defence on her phone so she would not forget anything.
Her attorney quickly explained to the court that it was her right to speak her side and that she should be free to do so. The magistrate did not deny this, however, she asked that the woman put her phone away and instead try to memorise what she had written down.
After both women were finished, the magistrate asked defence attorney Sanjeev Datadin whether he was ready to close the case, to which he said he was not. The matter was then adjourned until October 30th, 2019.
