From rxpgnews.com
Court quashes charges against Trinidad's Indian-origin PM
By IANS,
Mar 22, 2007 - 5:08:53 PM
Port-of-Spain, March 22 - Making a comeback from virtual political death, Trinidad & Tobago's first Indian-origin prime minister Basdeo Panday attended the country's parliamentary proceedings after a court quashed his conviction in a corruption case.
The ousted opposition leader appeared in parliament Wednesday after a court of appeal ordered a retrial of the corruption charges.
Panday, the leader of the country's United National Congress -, was sentenced to two years in jail, fined $60,000, and ordered to pay $1.6 million last by a court after he was found guilty of failing to declare his Natwest Bank account in London to the Integrity Commission for the years 1997, 1998, and 1999.
He was sent to jail but was out in four days after he was granted $350,000 bail.
Panday appealed the conviction and sentence. When the appeal was called in January this year, just one ground was argued before the court. Panday's lawyers contended that one of the judges was biased.
After Panday was convicted last year he ceased to perform the functions of an MP and lost office as opposition leader.
'I am simply acting in accordance with the law... I have consulted with my lawyers who said that once the conviction has been quashed the sentence and conviction is null and void and therefore any action taken such as my suspension from parliament is also null and void,' Panday was quoted as saying by the Trinidad Express newspaper.
Panday was one of the founders of the United Labour Front -. He has represented the constituency of Couva North in the House of Representatives since 1976 and was leader of the opposition from 1981 to 1986. He became the prime minister of the country in November 1995.
Panday was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman by India's Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs last year.
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