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alexk
Guest
State prosecutors have been given the green light to correct a clerical error in a drunk driving case against High Court Judge Kevin Ramcharan.
During a hearing of the case at the Port-of-Spain Magistrate’s Court yesterday, Magistrate Duane Murray granted an application from the Office of the Director Public Prosecution (DPP) to amend the charge.
At the first hearing on May 28, investigators admitted that they mistakenly wrote that Ramcharan was charged under Section 70(4)(1) of the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act when he was in fact charged under Section 70 (A)(1).
Ramcharan’s lawyers, Gilbert Peterson, SC, and Keith Scotland, did not oppose the application.
Although the charge was amended, it was not read to Ramcharan to allow him to enter a plea. That process is expected to be done during the next hearing of the case on September 4.
State prosecutor Mauricia Joseph said she had been recently assigned to the case and that her office had only received the case file from investigators on Monday. She said she would need time to disclose the evidence against Ramcharan to his defence team as required under the recently introduced Criminal Procedure Rules.
According to reports, around 11 pm on May 26, Ramcharan was driving his Land Rover Discovery when he was involved in an accident along Saddle Road, Maraval.
When police arrived on the scene, Ramcharan was administered a breathalyser test.
He allegedly registered a reading of 55 microgrammes of alcohol for every 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.
The charge was laid by PC Rondell Romany of the St Clair Police Station and Ramcharan was released on $15,000 bail.
Since being charged, Ramcharan has recused himself from one case where a member of his defence team was representing a litigant before him. The case, which was completed by Ramcharan and was awaiting judgment, has since been reassigned.