– transport not refused as surety
“Oliver Hinckson’s property transport was never refused as surety and Chief Justice Ian Chang never refused bail on the advocating the commission of a terrorist act charge,” a representative of the Hinckson family told Stabroek News yesterday.
According to the spokesperson, the family was not properly advised as to the course of action necessary to address the payment of Hinckson’s bail.
Hinckson, who is also facing a charge of uttering seditious statements, was granted $1 million bail in the Magistrate’s Court on Friday. The representative said that the transport for one of Hinckson’s properties, worth $16.8 million, was produced as surety. However, it was later realized that a manager’s cheque had to be provided to cover the bail.
The representative said this would be pursued tomorrow and handed over at the earliest possible time, after which Hinckson would be free to attend his court hearings on his own recognisance.
When this newspaper contacted Nigel Hughes, one of Hinckson’s defence attorneys, yesterday afternoon he confirmed that he had met Justice Chang on Friday morning before he joined his colleagues at the Magistrate’s Court for Hinckson’s hearing.
Hughes said Justice Chang had granted Hinckson bail on the seditious statements charge in the sum of $100,000 and did not refuse bail on the advocating the commission of a terrorist act charge. Rather, the issue of bail on that matter was left to be dealt with at the Magistrate’s Court.
“I was at the High Court up to 4 pm yesterday [Friday] and to my knowledge Chief Justice Ian Chang made no order recalling anything,” Hughes said. He said no hearing was held at the High Court on Friday evening. After the hearing at the Magistrate’s Court, where Hinckson was granted bail, no other hearing was conducted in any other court on Friday, Hughes said.
Hinckson is on $75,000 bail on a firearm and ammunition charge, $100,000 on the seditious statements and $1 million on the advocating the commission of a terrorist act, which brings his bail to a grand total of $1,175,000.
After months of deliberations in several courts, Hinckson was granted bail on Friday by Principal Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle.
The defence had told the court on Friday that the Hinckson matters could not be transferred until it was clear that Magistrate Gordon Gilhuys was no longer the magistrate for Court Two. Arguments were continuously raised on these grounds and Vic Puran, one of the defence attorneys, said the transfer was “unlawful”.
However, Hinckson was later granted bail and the matter adjourned to July 24 when the trial for advocating the commission of a terrorist act charge will commence.
