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THE Legal Practitioners’ Committee has ruled that the application made by Annetta Samaroo, the widow of an alleged murder victim, to seek $5M compensation against prominent Berbice lawyer, Murseline Bacchus, was filed without the leave of the committee. The Committee, comprising President Robin Stoby, Mickel Ramkarran, Kashir Khan, Rajendra Poonai and Emily Dodson, noted that the applicant was not saying that she was a client of the lawyer.
Consequently, Attorney-at-law for the applicant, Charrandas Persaud, withdrew the application at the Court of Appeal building in Georgetown last Thursday.
According to Section 35 of the Amendment to the Legal Practitioners Act, it provides that apart from a client, any other person making such an application will have to get leave of the committee.
“In this instance, no leave was sought, so it was wrongly done by the applicant and the lawyer. However, when it was drawn to the attention of the Committee, he (Charrandas Persaud) sought and obtained leave from the Committee to withdraw the application,” Bacchus said.
The matter before the Committee stemmed from allegations of witness tampering by Bacchus, which had resulted in perjury charges being filed against Annetta Samaroo.
On August 12, 2009, Murselene Bacchus was jointly charged with fish vendor Chandra Lakha Ramdass with conspiracy to obstruct the course of justice.
The defendants appeared before Magistrate Krishndat Persaud at the Number 51 Court, where they were not required to plead to the indictable charge, which was laid on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Bacchus, then aged 67 years, of Lot 90 Sheet Anchor, East Canje, was represented by Senior Counsel Marcel Crawford and Attorney-at-law Dridnauth Perry Gossai, while Ramdass, now aged 63 years, of lot 183 Hampshire Village, Corentyne, was represented by her lawyer, Adrian Anamayah.
The charge stemmed from an allegation that the defendants induced Annette Samaroo, the spouse of a murder victim, to give contradictory evidence at the preliminary hearings.
Reports revealed that during the Preliminary Inquiry into the murder of Gary Simon, Abdulssalam Azimullulah, Gansnam Jagassar, and Devendra Harrichand were charged for the offence of murder, at the Albion Magistrate’s Court, where the widow’s testimony, on October 25, 2005, was inconsistent to her statement which was given to Detective Sergeant 0951 Eustace Mc Cammon on December 19, 2004, as a result, she was deemed a hostile witness by the lower court.
A senior police officer had stated that following investigations, the woman confessed to the conspiracy plot in which she was asked to falsify her evidence, in order that the alleged perpetrator be discharged from the offence.
Consequently, Attorney-at-law for the applicant, Charrandas Persaud, withdrew the application at the Court of Appeal building in Georgetown last Thursday.
According to Section 35 of the Amendment to the Legal Practitioners Act, it provides that apart from a client, any other person making such an application will have to get leave of the committee.
“In this instance, no leave was sought, so it was wrongly done by the applicant and the lawyer. However, when it was drawn to the attention of the Committee, he (Charrandas Persaud) sought and obtained leave from the Committee to withdraw the application,” Bacchus said.
The matter before the Committee stemmed from allegations of witness tampering by Bacchus, which had resulted in perjury charges being filed against Annetta Samaroo.
On August 12, 2009, Murselene Bacchus was jointly charged with fish vendor Chandra Lakha Ramdass with conspiracy to obstruct the course of justice.
The defendants appeared before Magistrate Krishndat Persaud at the Number 51 Court, where they were not required to plead to the indictable charge, which was laid on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Bacchus, then aged 67 years, of Lot 90 Sheet Anchor, East Canje, was represented by Senior Counsel Marcel Crawford and Attorney-at-law Dridnauth Perry Gossai, while Ramdass, now aged 63 years, of lot 183 Hampshire Village, Corentyne, was represented by her lawyer, Adrian Anamayah.
The charge stemmed from an allegation that the defendants induced Annette Samaroo, the spouse of a murder victim, to give contradictory evidence at the preliminary hearings.
Reports revealed that during the Preliminary Inquiry into the murder of Gary Simon, Abdulssalam Azimullulah, Gansnam Jagassar, and Devendra Harrichand were charged for the offence of murder, at the Albion Magistrate’s Court, where the widow’s testimony, on October 25, 2005, was inconsistent to her statement which was given to Detective Sergeant 0951 Eustace Mc Cammon on December 19, 2004, as a result, she was deemed a hostile witness by the lower court.
A senior police officer had stated that following investigations, the woman confessed to the conspiracy plot in which she was asked to falsify her evidence, in order that the alleged perpetrator be discharged from the offence.
