Two police officers were prosecuted before the Intermediate Court for alleged cases of corruption by the Independent Commission Against Corruption. One has been found guilty and the other one gets away with the benefit of the doubt.
ICAC brought charges of bribery and traffic peddling against Jean Edouard Aristide and Jean Jacques Nobin.
The facts of the case related to a road accident, where the driver was presumed intoxicated and that the two officers asked some Rs 6000 not to report the matter for further inquiry.
In the case of Mr Aristide, magistrate Vijay Appadoo found that the police sergeant reported the road accident because he was not given the bribe he requested from the driver.
But in the case of Mr Nobin, the Court could not find how he could have tried to corrupt the driver and therefore decided to acquit him. Indeed, the purpose for asking the money by Mr Nobin is very blurred and is not what has been averred in the information. As per the testimony of the main witness, that is the driver involved in the accident in, the witness has been very confusing as to the purpose of the solicitation of the money. At first it was to withdraw the case; then he himself did not know the purpose. Nobin therefore gets away but that is not the case for officer Aristide who awaits his sentence.
