Bakr facing big bill for failed Privy Council case

Trinidad and Tobago is seeking $630,000 in costs from Jamaat Al Muslimeen leader, Imam Yasin Abu Bakr, for his failed bid at the Privy Council to protect his properties from being sold by the state.

That is in addition to more than $32 million dollars in compensation that he owes for the destruction of the Port-of-Spain Police Headquarters during the 1990 attempted coup.

A report in the Trinidad Guardian states that the State's London attorney, John Ameida, made the claims for costs in London last week. The bill for the costs has been forwarded to the new Attorney General, Anand Ramlogan, the paper reported.

Last year the Privy Council dismissed Bakr's appeal in which he claimed that the state should not seize his properties based on the contents of an affidavit he had filed in his defence and which he asked the Law Lords to admit into evidence.

The document alleged that Bakr's debt to the state would be forgiven because of an agreement he made with then Prime Minister Patrick Manning to help Manning and the PNM win the 2002 general election.

Bakr claimed he and Manning agreed that he, Bakr, would mobilise young people to vote for the PNM in marginal constituencies in 2002 and that Bakr would help reduce the increase in crime in certain areas.

Bakr claimed the government agreed that there would be no attempt to enforce payment of the judgment debt.

The Law Lords dismissed the appeal and refused to admit the affidavit into evidence. But they expressed reservations over its contents, stating that if such an arrangement were made it would have been between Manning and the Imam and therefore the state was not liable to honour such an agreement.

The Privy Council judgment stated that while Bakr's affidavit was irrelevant and inadmissable under those circumstances there was a corruption issue that needed to be addressed.

The Law Lords stated that if such an agreement had in fact been made then the actions of both parties - Bakr and Manning - were corrupt within the meaning of the country's Prevention of Corruption Act 1987.

Read the story: Privy Council rules against T&T's Muslimeen; slams alleged deal with Abu Bakr

Last year, Justice Rajendra Narine ordered that the matter be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Commissioner of Police.

Read the story: Judge orders probe of PM Manning; orders auction of Abu Bakr's properties
Related: Police question PM Manning on Bakr affidavit

The investigation is continuing.