Judgement reserved

The Court of Appeal has reserved its judgment in the appeal filed by two companies and three people, including two financiers of the ruling United National Congress (UNC) regarding the controversial section of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act that would have given them their freedom. The three-member Court of Appeal said it would give its ruling at a date to be announced following four days of arguments. In April this year, the High Court threw out a motion by businessmen Ish Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson challenging the decision to repeal the section that would have allowed persons with matters before the court for more than 10 years to walk free and a verdict of not guilty entered against their names. The section has since been repealed but critics say it was aimed at freeing the two financiers of the ruling party, the biggest partner in the four-member coalition People’s Partnership administration. Earlier this week, attorneys representing the two men argued that with the proclamation of Section 34, their clients had legitimate expectations that several fraud-related offences they are currently facing stemming from the construction of the TT$1.6 billion (One TT dollar = US$0.16 cents) Piarco International Airport rehabilitation project would have been dismissed at the High Court. The two men are also wanted in the United States on a number of related charges arising from the airport project.

Courtesy: www.cananewsonline.com