Anil Maharaj was granted $130,000 bail, with a named surety, when he appeared before a Port of Spain magistrate on Friday, charged with misbehaviour in public office.

Maharaj is a UNC councillor on the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation.

He appeared before magistrate Maureen Baboolal-Gafoor at a virtual hearing and was represented by attorneys Suneesh Singh, Kiel Taklalsingh and Dinesh Rambally.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge, which is that between January 1 and June 30, 2021, Maharaj demanded $15,000 from a contractor at the corporation.

Maharaj is also the chairman of the finance committee at the Sangre Grande Corporation.

As part of his bail conditions, Maharaj surrendered his passport and his brother was named as his surety. The matter has been transferred to the Sangre Grande magistrates’ court where it will next come up for hearing on August 4.

A statement from the police said Maharaj, councillor for Cumuto/Tamana, was arrested on Thursday by the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB). The statement said officers were instructed to charge Maharaj by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard, SC.

The charges stem from an investigation into an alleged incident at the corporation.

Newsday was told the criminal charge would not affect Maharaj’s tenure at the corporation, as the Local Government Ministry cannot forcibly remove a councilor because of it.

Newsday was told the convention was for the person to resign, which will trigger a by-election for the district.

The Local Government Act says a person is disqualified from being a councillor if he is under sentence of death, is serving a sentence of imprisonment exceeding 12 months imposed by a Trinidad and Tobago court, or is under a suspended sentence.

On Thursday, attorneys representing Maharaj wrote to PC Goodwin Alleyne of the ACIB, asking for a copy of the affidavit or sworn evidence used to secure the warrant for the search of Maharaj’s home in Sangre Grande.

The search was carried out at 6 am for a series of items including, files, voice recordings, computers, SMS and voice messages, writing specimen, electronic devices, computers and other digital devices, and correspondence relating to the corporation.

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