AG promises to collect $37.2M Muslimeen debt; Bakr sues state

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan said Tuesday it would be "very difficult" to say how and when the State will collect a $37.2 million debt owed by 55 Jamaat al Muslimeen members.

The AG spoke about the matter in the Senate in response to an opposition question. He said a team, headed by Dana Seetahal, SC, is pursuing the matter.

The new People's Partnership government auctioned some of the Jamaat's properties on August 17, 2010 to recover damages and costs for the destruction of state property by the group during the failed 1990 coup. At the time of the sale the amount owed to the state was $42.3 million, the AG said.

Ramlogan explained that the properties were sold below the valuation price and the state only received a nett amount of $5.1 million.

Ramlogan said the State will go after the others who owe money. "There are 55 other defendants who are indebted to the State...members of the Jamaat who stormed this Parliament and caused loss of life, limb and property,” he said.

“We are unable to give, for obvious reasons, a time frame for the action at this time, but my ministry is working as hard as we can, given the many competing matters in which we’re engaged."

In a related development, the leader of the Jamaat, Yasin Abu Bakr, is seeking compensation from the State for damage to his character and reputation with respect to charges of firearm and ammunition possession in 2005.

In January 2006, the Director of Public Prosecutions at the time, Geoffrey Henderson, discontinued proceedings against Bakr for the firearm and ammunition offences, giving no reason for doing so.

And now Bakr has filed a lawsuit against the Attorney General and Commissioner of Police claiming that he was greatly injured “in his credit, character and reputation and suffered mental anguish and pain and incurred expense in defending himself.”

In addition he is claiming damages for false imprisonment, assault and battery, malicious prosecution, damages, other reliefs the court deems fit and costs.

He was charged following a raid at the Jamaat’s compound at Mucurapo Road, on November 10, 2005, during which police allegedly found a sniper rifle with telescope, a hand grenade, and 569 rounds of ammunition.

At the time of the raid Bakr was in police custody awaiting his court appearance on four sedition charges arising out of statements allegedly made during Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations at the Jamaat compound.