Jensen LaVende

SPECIAL State attorney Sir Timothy Cassel QC has refused to prosecute former prime minister Basdeo Panday in the retrial in his integrity matter.

This was revealed yesterday by State attorney George Busby, who told Magistrate Melvin Daniel that Cassel had refused the brief. Busby, who did not give a reason why Cassel refused, asked for an adjournment as the State was seeking a new candidate, from outside of the country, to lead the State. Busby added that the State would require some time to do so.

Defence attorney Ravi Rajcoomar, who, along with Mickela Panday, is defending Panday, said the State was being oppressive by not having an attorney to prosecute the matter. Rajcoomar said yesterday’s hearing was the third time the matter was called with no prosecutor, saying the court should not be used at ’the whim and fancy’ of the State.

Rajcoomar then asked that the matter be adjourned to September, since he had two High Court matters coming up, which would consume a lot of time.

Daniel refused to adjourn the matter to such a late date, but chose July 26 for an update from the State.

Panday faces a retrial after the Privy Council ruled on April, 9, 2008, that he should face one of the charges of failing to declare a London Bank account to the Integrity Commission, for three consecutive years, while he was Prime Minister.

Panday is before Daniel after a 19-page ruling handed down by Justice Judith Jones on November 24 last year, which ruled that Panday’s request to have Magistrate Ejenny Espinet recuse herself from the case on the grounds that she was hearing evidence in the matter, which she had already heard and committed him on, was valid. Trinidad Express)