… to appear in
court today
A prominent Berbice defence attorney is expected to
appear in the Number 51 Village Magistrate’s Court
today for allegedly inducing the wife of a murder
victim to give conflicting evidence at a Preliminary
Inquiry.
Attorney-at-law
Nigel Hughes
The attorney was reportedly charged with perverting
the course of justice on the advice of the Director of
Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The matter invokes memories of the highly publicised
trial of Robert Simels and his assistant, Arienne
Irving who are accused of attempting to neutralize
witnesses.
This case in Berbice involves three men who were
charged with the murder of Gary Simon, called
‘Bull’, in 2005 at Nigg, Corentyne, Berbice.
Attorney, Murseline
Bacchus
According to information the attorney, Murseline
Bacchus, who was defending the accused, allegedly paid
the woman a sum of money to falsify the evidence.
This newspaper was informed that during the
Preliminary Inquiry into the murder, before Magistrate
Chandra Sohan, the woman gave testimony, which was
inconsistent with her statement to the police, causing
her to be deemed a hostile witness.
The police, after diligent investigations, got a
confession from the woman that she falsified her
evidence and charged her with perjury.
During the perjury trial the woman reportedly
testified to lying and gave details of what allegedly
transpired.
She told investigators that she was invited to the
attorney’s office when he and others offered her
money to perjure herself.
She was reportedly given a portion of the agreed sum,
with a promise to collect the remainder when the
matter was completed.
Senior
Counsel Marcel Crawford
Bacchus is to be represented by Attorney-at-Law Marcel
Crawford.
Wednesday,
August 12, 2009
