Stores and accounts clerks testify
The trial of former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who is charged with fraudulently converting over $2 million in Law Reports which were allegedly the property of the Ministry of Legal Affairs, commenced yesterday with evidence by the accounts clerk and the former stores clerk.
It is alleged that the defendant, between May 8, 2015 and May 29, 2015, at Georgetown, being a bailee and Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs and having 14 Law Reports, valued at $2,313,853 and property of the Ministry of Legal Affairs, fraudulently took or converted the reports to his own use and benefit.
During the trial before Magistrate Fabayo Azore, Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) Prosecutor Patrice Henry, called the state’s first witness, Denise Job.
Job served as the stores clerk, employed at the Ministry Legal Affairs, from 1999 to 2014. In her testimony the court heard that her responsibilities included uplifting quotations and purchases, preparing a list of items needed to be purchased, keeping all records in relation to the stores, and issuing and receiving of the stores. She stated that there were several ledgers that she would have had control of. Job noted that during her time as the stores clerk, the defendant was the attorney general and the Permanent Secretary (PS) was Indira Anandjit.
At the end of Job’s testimony, she was subjected to cross-examination by attorney Glenn Hanoman, one of the attorneys representing the defendant.
It was under cross-examination that Job stated that she never received any Commonwealth Law Reports and is not aware of any purchase order for the very reports. She noted, however, that in relation to overseas purchases, the directive would have to be given by the Attorney General to the accountant. Job added that overseas purchases were completely out of her hands, and she would have only dealt with local purchases.
When asked if she ever entered any information in relation to the law reports in any of the ledgers she would have mentioned earlier, Job said no.
Prosecutor Henry then called accounts clerk at the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Daniel Persaud, who performed the duties of both stores clerk and accounts clerk from December 2014 to January 2015.
Persaud told the court that on June 2, 2015, he received a call from the then PS Anandjit, to go to her office. It was in the office of the PS that Persaud stated that Anandjit was in possession of the Commonwealth Law Report Volume 2. Persaud was then given the said Law Report, after entries were made, noting the description of the item, date received, amount received and its serial number. The Law Report was then taken to the librarian at the Ministry, Lana Best, who signed for it.
This witness was then subjected to cross-examination by Attorney Hanoman.
Under cross-examination Persaud stated that the only Law Reports he knows about was after the defendant left the Ministry as AG.
At the end of the cross-examination Magistrate Azore adjourned the matter to July 13.