The proceedings against former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who is charged with the fraudulent conversion of law reports, has been adjourned until next year after he sent apologies to the trial magistrate for his absence in court yesterday, while he was attending the launch of his party’s 2020 elections manifesto.
Last month, Nandlall requested an adjournment pending the ruling of the Court of Appeal on whether he should lead his defence or not. He was granted an adjournment until yesterday’s date and was told to apply for a stay in proceedings until a decision was made by the higher court.
The court heard yesterday that while Nandlall had applied for the stay, the application is still at Court of Appeal. On the last occasion trial magistrate Fabayo Azore had noted that if she did not have a document to instruct her to adjourn the matter pending the outcome of the Appeal Court’s ruling, Nandlall would be called upon to lead his defence.
However, Nandlall was absent from court yesterday but sent his apologies to the magistrate via attorney Nigel Hughes, who told the court that the former Attorney General regretted his absence but was currently attending to a matter of “national importance.” The magistrate subsequently adjourned the matter until January 10th, 2019.
During the time when the matter was called at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, Nandlall was at the launching of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) manifesto.
A year ago, Magistrate Azore had ruled that a prima facie case was made out against Nandlall on the charge that he fraudulently converted over $2 million in law reports and subsequently called upon him to lead a defence to the charge. He has since challenged her ruling.
The charge alleges that Nandlall fraudulently converted 14 law reports, valued at $2,313,853 and property of the Ministry of Legal Affairs, to his own use and benefit between May 8th, 2015 and May 29th, 2015, at Georgetown.