The State has been ordered to pay compensation to businessman Inshan Ishmael following his wrongful arrest, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution case over an incident in 2017 was upheld by a High Court Judge.
Justice Frank Seepersad upheld Ishmael’s case after a brief virtual trial yesterday.
However the compensation owed to Ishmael was not immediately assessed by Justice Seepersad, though he did invited his attorneys and those for the Office of the Attorney General to file submissions on the issue.
He is expected to conduct the assessment during a hearing next Tuesday.
Ishmael’s case stemmed from an incident that occurred when he attended a sports and family day at the ASJA compound, Caroni Savannah Road, Charlieville, on April 2, 2017.
Ishmael the chief executive officer of the Islamic Broadcast Network (IBN) had just got into his car and was about to leave when an attendee at the event blocked Ishmael’s SUV with his pick-up truck who he claimed used abusive and threatening language toward him before he was allowed to leave.
Ishmael, who is a firearm user’s license (FUL) holder, was unarmed at the time of the incident.
He made a report to the Chaguanas Police Station over the incident and the man, who opposed him, made a report several days later in which he alleged that Ishmael had threatened him with a gun.
Ishmael was arrested over six months later while he was organising a peaceful protest over a decision by the T&T Police Service (TTPS) to block the entrance to Barakah Grounds in Chaguanas, where he operates his restaurant.
Ishmael was arrested by a senior police officer, who he (Ishmael) claimed used abusive and obscene language towards him and accused him of attempting to tarnish the reputation of the TTPS.
He was detained in a cell at the police station overnight before being released after search warrants were executed at his home the following day.
Later that month, Ishmael surrendered to police after he heard that there were three warrants for his arrest in relation to the incident at the family day.
He was charged with possession of a firearm to endanger life, possession of ammunition to endanger life and assaulting the man.
He was granted bail and made numerous court appearances before the charges were dismissed after Magistrate Rajendra Rambachan upheld no-case submissions made by his attorneys.
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