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THE trial of political analyst Derek Ramsamooj’s lawsuit against the State of Suriname began yesterday before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), marking the start of a case that challenges the legality of his lengthy detention in that country during a corruption investigation.

The proceedings opened at the CCJ’s headquarters on Henry Street, Port of Spain, where Ramsamooj himself took the stand along with several other witnesses. The hearing is being presided over by CCJ President Justice Winston Anderson, alongside Justices Maureen Rajnauth-Lee, Denys Barrow, Peter Jamadar, and Chantal Ononaiwu.

Ramsamooj, 62, was arrested in Suriname in October 2020 while preparing to return to Trinidad and Tobago. Authorities in Paramaribo detained him under what is known as a “beperking order” — a measure that restricted his communication, including access to his attorneys, during an investigation into payments he was said to have received from the Surinamese Post Savings Bank.