1 week ago
6
Derek Ramsamooj - Surinamese public prosecutor Romeo Rampersad was placed in the hot seat before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on November 6, as he was called to testify in the ongoing matter challenging the detention of political analyst Derek Ramsamooj.
Ramsamooj, a Trinidadian political consultant, was detained in Paramaribo in October 2020 and held for almost two years in connection with an alleged money-laundering and cybercrime investigation.
Surinamese authorities claimed his detention was linked to activities involving the central bank and the country’s financial sector. However, no formal charges were ever laid against him.
Rampersad, testifying in Dutch with the assistance of a translator at the CCJ’s headquarters on Henry Street, Port of Spain, was cross-examined by Ramsamooj’s attorney, Justin Phelps, SC.
During questioning, Rampersad's testimony, combined with language barriers, occasionally led to confusion during proceedings. Even the court-appointed translator at times struggled to render his testimony accurately into English.
Phelps produced a document, an order dated October 26, 2020, which stated the "Beperkin Order" against Ramsamooj had been lifted with immediate effect from October 24, 2020.
The Beperking order is provided for under Section 40 of the Suriname Code of Criminal Procedure. It allows for the restriction of communication between a suspect and their attorney under certain circumstances.”
He questioned Rampersad on discrepancies in the dates and on whether Ramsamooj had been properly informed of his rights to challenge the detention order.
Rampersad insisted Ramsamooj had been made aware he had three days following his detention to contest the order in writing but claimed he failed to do so.
Ramsamooj, however, in his own testimony, said he never received any official documents in writing. He said while a document concerning his detention had been read to him verbally, it was merely summarised, and he was never given a physical copy.
Under questioning from Justice Peter Jamadar, Rampersad said Ramsamooj signed documents related to his detention and said copies were provided to the State of Suriname. However, no evidence was entered by the state to support Rampersad’s assertion.
Phelps, during his cross-examination, introduced into evidence a letter written in Dutch which, he said, indicated “the prosecutor withdraws the objection because Ramsamooj wished to change attorneys.”
He argued that requesting a new lawyer did not amount to withdrawing Ramsamooj’s legal objection to his detention, further pointing out that while detained, Ramsamooj had no contact with anyone outside the facility.
A claim Ramsamooj testified to earlier, saying prior to him visiting the station, he asked if he should walk with an attorney, to which he was told there was no need to.
During further cross-examination, Phelps asked Rampersad whether several documents from pages 195 to 202 of the record were signed by Ramsamooj, to which he again replied, “Yes.”
Phelps also questioned the credibility of the interpreter who was assigned to Ramsamooj at the time of his detention, noting testimony that the translator was later discharged by a Surinamese court in two separate matters.
The defence also called Dr Murwin Dubois as an expert witness on Surinamese law and the Beperking Order. Dubois said while Surinamese law derives from Dutch law, he could not be classified as an expert in Dutch law. He had also not reviewed Ramsamooj’s case files and thus could not give a specific opinion on the matter.
Ramsamooj’s wife, Camille Pagee, also took the stand and was questioned by Suriname’s state attorney on her communications with her husband following his detention.
Pagee recounted after Suriname closed its airports in March 2020 due to the covid19 pandemic, she last spoke with her husband around October 8, 2020, after learning he had been taken into custody.
She said efforts to reach him and secure legal representation began thereafter, and it was made clear after his detention when "she received a call from her husband's phone."
Earlier in his testimony, Ramsamooj said he did not speak with his wife when he was detained, as police had taken his phone and liaised with her on the device whenever they needed information.
Ramsamooj, detained on October 6, 2020, was told he was a witness in an inquiry into operations at a local bank. He was not allowed to leave Suriname until September 2022, when a judge ordered the return of his TT and British passports.
However, his legal team said Surinamese police refused to withdraw the charges against him. In his application before the CCJ, Ramsamooj seeks several declarations: that Suriname infringed his rights to freedom of movement and to provide services and breached its obligations under Caricom’s Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas by subjecting him to arbitrary imprisonment.
He has also alleged discrimination based on nationality and the denial of medical treatment while in custody. Ramsamooj suffers from diabetes, hypertension, and severe coronary artery disease.
Ramsamooj claims he was denied adequate care, forced to pay excessive costs for substandard medical attention, and coerced into signing a Dutch-language document he did not understand. His assets were allegedly frozen and his passports seized.
A holder of a Caricom skills certificate issued in the 1990s, Ramsamooj has worked as a political consultant and election advisor across the region for more than 30 years, including in Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname.
His application contends he was the victim of a “sham criminal prosecution” motivated by political interference. The CCJ proceedings continue on November 7.
English (US) ·