Honduran ‘In Jail Too Long’ in Spain

High Court Judge Maureen Rajnauth-Lee has ordered that Honduras national Antonio Ramos be brought to the High Court Port of Spain today, following an application of continued unlawful detention.

The application was filed Friday morning by Ramos’s attorneys Gerald Ramdeen and Mark Seepersad and lists the defendant as Commissioner of Prisons John Rougier.

According to the application, Ramos was convicted before an Arima Magistrate on May 4, 2007 for possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking and sentenced to three years with hard labour.

Ramos appealed the Magistrate’s decision but no reasons were given to date.

The application further made reference to the provisions of the West Indies Prison Act 1838, which in essence states that Ramos would have been entitled to remission of one-sixth of the three-year sentence which amounted to a six-month reduction of the term.

’The claimant’s entitlement to remission under the provisions of rule 285 of the prison rules and section 150 of the Summary Courts Act as amended would be that the claimant would have been required to serve a term of 30 months to complete the three-year term of imprisonment…’ the document stated.

Adding that Ramos’s sentence was completed on November 4, and he continued to be incarcerated, Ramdeen appealed to Rajnauth-Lee that Rougier be summoned to justify the reasons why his client continues to be jailed.

By: Denyse Renne


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