Former attorney general Anand Ramlogan will re-appear in court in January next year following a brief appearance on Friday on charges of misbehaviour in public office and seeking to pervert the course of justice.
Ramlogan, who had been arrested by police on Tuesday and released 36 hours later on TT$750,000 bail, appeared before Magistrate Nanette Forde John in the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court on the indictable charges.
After the charges were read to Ramlogan, he was not called upon to enter a plea and was allowed to leave on continuing bail. The defence has asked that the search warrant issued to the police be disclosed.
The case has been adjourned to January 11 next year.
The police picked up Ramlogan, who served as attorney general here between 2010-15, at his residence in Palmiste early Tuesday morning as they continue their probe into allegations that he had sought to pervert the course of justice by asking David West, the director of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) to withdraw a statement he had made in support of the then Opposition Leader Dr. Keith Rowley in a lawsuit more than two years ago.
In 2015, then Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar fired Ramlogan and her national security minister Gary Griffith over the allegations.
The lawsuit followed statement allegedly made by Rowley during a news conference relating to the failed extradition involving businessmen Steve Ferguson and Ishwar Galbaransingh, who are reported to be financiers of the United National Congress, and are wanted to the United States on corruption charges.
Ramlogan, the first ever attorney general to come before the courts on a criminal charge, has denied that he asked David West to withdraw his witness statement in support of Rowley six days before the PCA director took up his new post.
Ramlogan, who is being represented by a battery of attorneys led by Senior Counsel, Pamela Elder, appeared at the court building with his wife Nalini.
