After spending close to three days in custody, former attorney general Anand Ramlogan, SC and UNC Senator Gerald Ramdeen were last night charged over their alleged roles in a multi-million legal fee kickback conspiracy.
Sources close to the investigation said Ramlogan and Ramdeen were charged with conspiring to engage in money laundering, corruption and misbehaviour in public office. Similar charges were laid against the State’s cooperating witness British Queen’s Counsel Vincent Nelson on Wednesday. Nelson has signed a plea agreement with the State to testify against Ramlogan and Ramdeen.
Detectives assigned to the Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau (ACIB) were hoping to complete their investigation on Thursday night to allow both men to appear in court to answer the charges yesterday morning. However, their plans were derailed after both Ramlogan and Ramdeen complained of feeling unwell at different times between Thursday night and yesterday morning and had to be taken separately to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital for treatment.
The change of plans meant that by the time the men were officially charged late last night, they would have had to spend the weekend in police custody until they could appear before a magistrate on Monday morning.
Guardian Media understands that the duo’s legal team was expected to ask senior officers within the unit if their clients could be granted station bail, which would allow them to be released before Monday’s hearing.
Station bail is usually granted to persons charged with non-violent crimes during weekends. It is allowed at the discretion of the police and is approved by a Justice of the Peace.
While the police investigation into the conspiracy started almost three years ago, it reached a critical stage on Wednesday morning after investigators executed an arrest warrant for Ramlogan at the Piarco International Airport around 4.15 am. Ramlogan was about to board a flight to Miami to connect to the British Virgin Islands (BVI), where he was expected to represent the Speaker of BVI’s House Assembly Julian Wilcox. Ramdeen surrendered to investigators two hours later.
On Wednesday evening, police executed search warrants at the duo’s homes in south Trinidad and at Ramdeen’s office at Cornelio Street, Woodbrook. During the searches, which lasted well into the night, investigators reportedly seized several electronic devices and documents.
Detectives attempted to interview both men on Thursday evening but had to cut Ramlogan’s interview short after he complained of feeling unwell and had to be taken for treatment. Ramlogan’s interview resumed around midday yesterday and was completed several hours later.
Ramdeen’s interview was reportedly completed on Thursday but he complained of feeling unwell while Ramlogan was being interviewed. Guardian Media understands that doctors at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital diagnosed that he was suffering from dehydration and kept him for several hours as they administered intravenous fluids and Panadol.
Around 5 pm, Ramdeen was cleared by doctors and taken back into police custody. Ramdeen’s lawyers also threatened to file a habeas corpus writ challenging his detention for 48 hours without being charged yesterday morning but did not go through with it after he was hospitalised.
Sources said shortly after 6 pm investigators put the finishing touches on the file and sought advice from Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard, SC, who kept his office open in anticipation of a late visit.
About the Investigation
The investigation centres around almost $1 billion in legal fees which was paid to private legal practitioners representing the state and state companies in legal proceedings during Ramlogan’s tenure between 2010 and 2015.
The lawsuits included several over alleged corruption which occurred under the previous Patrick Manning regime.
It is alleged that a percentage of the fees, which were paid through the Office of the Attorney General to the lawyers, was allegedly given back to Ramlogan.
On Thursday, British Queen’s Counsel Vincent Nelson, who has Jamaican roots, appeared in court to answer three conspiracy charges over his role. Nelson is accused of conspiring with Ramlogan and Ramdeen to receive, conceal and transfer criminal property, namely the rewards given to Ramlogan by Nelson for being appointed to represent the State in several cases; of conspiring with them to corruptly give Ramlogan a percentage of the funds and of conspiring with them to make Ramlogan misbehave in public office by receiving the funds.
Nelson, who benefited from over $20 million in legal briefs, has signed a plea bargain agreement, under which he is expected to testify against the duo in exchange for immunity or a reduced sentence. He has been released on $100,000 bail and allowed to leave the country for medical treatment. His lawyers also claimed that his safety would be at risk.
Nelson is scheduled to return to Trinidad later this month or early next month for his plea assessment hearing before a High Court Judge.
Guardian Media understands that the probe may extend to other lawyers, both local and international, who would have received State briefs under Ramlogan’s tenure.