Ceila Morgan, Gleaner/Power 106 News Editor
East Kingston businessman Danhai Williams.
EAST KINGSTON businessman Danhai Williams was yesterday granted bail in the sum of $200,000 when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court in connection with his failure to honour the terms and conditions of his bail in a $450 million fraud case.
Mr. Williams, along with six other persons, was arrested in October 2003
following irregularities uncovered in a National Housing Development Corporation (NHDC)/Operation PRIDE housing project.
Just over two weeks ago, a warrant was laid in the Corporate Area RM Court for Williams, who reportedly breached the conditions of his bail bond.
Yesterday defence attorneys representing Williams sought to have his bail extended in the matter.
As a condition of his bail Williams was expected to report to the Rollington Town police in East Kingston on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
However, defence attorney Lloyd Anthony McFarlane, in his arguments in court yesterday, said Williams had been reporting to the station but had been off the island at some point during the period.
He further claimed that Williams was in contact with the police by way of telephone while he was off the island.
But prosecutors argued that there was no evidence at the Rollington Town station to indicate that Williams had in fact reported to the station since his arrest.
After hearing the arguments Resident Magistrate Sarah Thompson James offered bail in the sum of $200,000 with a surety, and ordered Williams to surrender his
travel documents.
According to her, based on the arguments presented, she noted that Williams did make some effort to honour the conditions of his bail.
Williams will also now report to the Fraud Squad instead of the Rollington Town station after a request by Superintendent Fitz Bailey of the Fraud Squad was accepted by the court.
The court has ordered that, in the event that Williams wishes to travel, he should first obtain permission from the court.
Williams is expected to return to court on March 8 next year when the case has been set for mention.
DIFFICULTY LOCATING HIM
There was speculation as to whether Williams would have turned up for yesterday's hearing after prosecutors in the Kraal murder trial, in the Home Circuit Court, reportedly had difficulty locating him.
As a result the prosecution was forced to close its case without his testimony.
Noted defence attorney Bert Samuels told The Gleaner yesterday that, while the matter of a breach of bail bond is treated as a serious matter by the court, it is usually far more detrimental for persons who fail to turn up for trial.
"The breach of the condition of bail is usually not as serious as not turning up for your trial. The condition that you should turn up on a given day for court is the main condition. The other conditions are more excusable than not turning up for your trial."
And responding to questions about the extent of the consequences of the breaches, Mr. Samuels noted that "To report to the police is for you to be monitored. In my experience there is usually a harsh reprimand of the person who fails to follow his bail condition."
He said it was more normal for a person to be strongly reprimanded than remanded in custody after the first breach. If there is another breach, he said, the person would be remanded in custody.
