PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (Reuters):
THE CHAIRMAN of Trinidad and Tobago's ruling political party was charged with six counts of corruptly receiving money, and surrendered to police on Wednesday.
Franklyn Khan, who earlier this year resigned as minister of works and transportation, was charged with receiving $18,000 from local government official Dansam Dhansook and his company, Geoseis Services Ltd., which provides labor for energy companies, between February and July in 2003.
Khan, the chairman of the ruling People's National Movement (PNM), was granted bail of $40,000 when he appeared in a Port-of-Spain court.
NO REACTIONS FROM OFFICIALS
There was no immediate reaction from PNM officials. Prime Minister Patrick Manning was out of the country on a visit to Israel and Malta.
Trinidad and Tobago, a nation of 1.1 million people in the south-eastern Caribbean, parlayed large offshore oil and gas reserves into a strong industrial and manufacturing economy.
