Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - Hier 07:10

Vicky Boodram freed of over 100 charges

Former travel agent Vicky Boodram was discharged of more than 100 fraud charges after prosecutors repeatedly failed to file evidence against her. Her discharge came during a virtual hearing before High Court Master Lisa Singh-Phillip on September 19. However, Boodram did not walk free despite the charges being laid as she is still awaiting the outcome of a separate case of escaping from prison. State prosecutor Elaine Green, SC, admitted that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) missed three deadlines to submit witness statements and other filings. She told the court it would be unfair to continue proceedings against Boodram under the circumstances. “I don’t see the need to clog the list. We are not yet ready,” Green said. Defence attorney Stephen Wilson, of the Public Defenders’ Department, applied for Boodram’s discharge due to the state’s repeated non-compliance. Singh-Phillip granted the request under section 5.9(5) of the Criminal Procedure Rules, 2023. Green conceded the application but said the DPP may reinstate the matter if it resolves its procedural failures. “If we can get our house in order then we would do what we have to do at that time,” she added. Boodram thanked Green and Singh-Phillip for the ruling. “Thank you very much. I appreciate it,” she said. Boodram still faces charges stemming from her 2017 escape from the Women's Prison in Arouca. That case comes up in early October before another master of the court. Boodram, the owner of the defunct Boodram Travel and Ship Ahoy Cruises Ltd, was accused of defrauding clients of more than $1 million in payments for a 2011 cruise that never took place. She was initially charged with 109 fraud-related offences, but two counts were dismissed when victims died. She also faced two money laundering charges linked to the purchase of a Mercedes Benz and a Palmiste property worth more than $2 million. Her case had been in the magistrate’s court for years before it was transferred to the High Court in March 2024. She has been in custody since March 2016. In October 2019, Boodram and her estranged husband Ravi Arjoonsingh were committed to stand trial before the San Fernando court on 107 fraud charges. However, their cases were separated. Public Defender Janeil Chuck also represented Boodram. Prison officials said two police officers from the Tunapuna Police Station, armed with what appeared to be legitimate court documents, removed her from custody, claiming she was scheduled for a “night court” appearance. Prior to their arrival, prison staff received a telephone call stating Boodram had secured bail in all her matters. Prison authorities allowed her to be signed out and taken away. She never came back. There is no such thing as a “night court” in TT. Three days after her dramatic escape from the Women’s Prison late November 2017, Boodram was recaptured in Penal. The officers involved in the prison were the subjects of a police investigation. Earlier this year, at a social/cultural event at the prison, Boodram vowed to become an attorney. “I look forward eagerly to my legal release, to be able to now give back my pound of flesh to the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service and other stakeholders, to return that favour, along with my legal team, by providing pro­per, fair and balanced legal representation in the courts,” she said. Criminal Bar Association president Israel Khan, asked to comment on the collapse of the case, said if the DPP and the prosecution were serious, they would submit the necessary paperwork and reinstate the matter. “Once accused of an offence a person is presumed to be innocent. The state must establish that she is guilty. The state was given the opportunity to file what they have to file. So the person we should be zeroing in on is the DPP,” Khan said. Saying “justice delayed, is justice denied,” he said Boodram’s lawyers were right to call for the dismissal of the case. “I know how people feel because a lot of people were allegedly scammed, but Ms Boodram is still presumed to be innocent," Khan said. – With reporting by RYAN HAMILTON-DAVIS The post Vicky Boodram freed of over 100 charges appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.