Paumen and Anderson Denied Bail

Bradley Paumen

Businessman Jahan Abadi and Haung Chong Park were arraigned for conspiracy to the crime of perverting the course of justice. They allegedly solicited the services of Solomon Moss to plant the rifle in the vehicle of Michael Modiri. Both were remanded to prison until a bail hearing before the Magistrate on Friday morning. Paumen and Anderson, who are currently on Supreme Court bail for four counts of Abetment to Murder, were formally arraigned for Conspiracy to Pervert the Course of Justice. There were signs of distress in the courtroom as the Magistrate announced that both Paumen and Anderson would be remanded until March eighth. Those cries were amplified by Dark Night employees who had gathered outside throughout the afternoon to support Paumen. The American was represented by Senior Counsel Dean Lindo and attorney Herbert Panton. An irate Panton spoke to us as he exited the Courtroom.

Herbert Panton, Attorney for Bradley Paumen

“Well first of all when you look at the brief facts that are appended to the information and complaint laid against my client, it’s a whole lot of conjecture. On such and such a date, information was received, the police investigated, but there is no meat; there is nothing to explain how that information was received, who investigated, who you interviewed when you investigated. So at the end of the day, it is a whole pile of hogwash. The unfortunate thing and this is always the unfortunate thing is that the police plays like they’re shooting dice with people’s freedom. They have no regard to depriving people of their freedom because at the end of the day, Mister Paumen is going to walk away from these charges. They are ridiculous, but in the process, this is the second time now he has to be dragged off to prison as though he is a common criminal for charges that cannot stand the light of day. It is ridiculous.”

Reporter

“Now, will he loose his bail? He’s on Supreme Court bail.”

Herbert Panton

Herbert Panton

“Now that is the other nonsensical thing. His bail condition clearly says if he is arrested for any other offense, he is to be immediately brought before a justice of the Supreme Court. The magistrate has remanded him until the eighth of March. Nonsense! He should have…from nine o’clock this morning. That man should never have been brought here. He should have been taken before a judge of the Supreme Court.”

Mike Rudon

“But wouldn’t then because of that same condition, wouldn’t his bail have been revoked anyway?”

Herbert Panton

“It is at the discretion of the judge of the Supreme Court. It’s not revoked automatically. And it would not have been revoked because these charges stem from the same set of facts. It is not two separate things; they stem from the same set of facts. So bail would not have been revoked.”

Reporter

“Sir the magistrate spoke a number of times about how the case is being conducted; his dissatisfaction with how the proceedings went this morning. How do you feel? Miss Montejo expressed her reservations.”

Herbert Panton

“Well I was not here this morning so I can’t speak of what transpired this morning. But the magistrate is perfectly right. It was the prosecution who brought this charges. As far as I understand, a plea was taken from Mister Anderson. He pled not guilty, a submission was made; submission simply that the matter was out time and so it ought to be dismissed and the magistrate recused herself. Now that information is vital at the very least. This afternoon, when a new magistrate walked into the courtroom, it was the responsibility of the prosecution, who brought the case to court in the first place, to say to the magistrate, this is what transpired this morning and for a defense counsel to do that…because now the magistrate would have to regard that information as suspect because the defense counsel is acting in interest of her client. It was the responsibility of the prosecution to bring that information to the attention of the magistrate this afternoon.”

Mike Rudon

“So you say the charges stem from the same set of circumstances but aren’t they different? One of them is that he is allegedly being accused of hiring a hit man for four persons and the other is he is accused of planting a firearm or conspiring to plant a firearm in a vehicle—two separate circumstances.”

Herbert Panton

“At the end of the day, dah one breed a dog papa. No other way to describe it. Whether it is conspiring to murder or conspiring to plant a firearm or whatever the case is, they all stem from a single set of circumstances.”