Ill Sharma a no-show at court hearing

CN Sharma was a no-show again when hearings for the carnal knowledge, witness tampering and obstruction of justice charges against him were called yesterday.

Attorney Nigel Hughes informed the court that his client was ill and had left the country to seek medical treatment.

CN Sharma

Hughes presented to the court a letter, which was also copied to the chambers of the Attorney General, stating that Sharma was granted permission to leave the country for medical attention.

Magistrate Geeta Chandan Persid-Edmond, who is presiding over the matters, granted an adjournment to February 18.

This is the third time the matters have been put down without any progress being made.

On April 26 last year, Sharma was charged with attempting to obstruct the course of justice. It is alleged that on April 15, he knowingly attempted to obstruct the course of justice by removing two of the girls at the centre of sex abuse allegations against him from their known address and taking them to a house at 123 Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara, in order to prevent them from being questioned by police.

The magistrate had granted him $100,000 bail. On July 1, Sharma was arraigned on another charge of witness tampering and was released on $150,000 bail. In mid October, 2010, he was reported to have suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized locally for a brief period. The High Court subsequently granted him permission to leave the country to seek medical attention.