PANDAY
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC:
FORMER TRINIDAD and Tobago Prime Minister Basdeo Panday was released from prison yesterday afternoon, more than a week after he refused to accept the bail set by a magistrate's court on his corruption-related charges.
"I feel spiritually stronger, certainly feel spiritually stronger," Panday, 72, told reporters as he emerged from the Golden Grove Maximum prison, east of here.
The leader of the main opposition United National Congress (UNC) had on two occasions refused to accept the bail, which was first set at TT$750,000 (US$125,000) and reduced on Tuesday to TT$650,000 (US$125,000).
His decision to accept the bail conditions came following a meeting with representatives of the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) earlier yesterday.
HIS HEALTH A CONCERN
IRO official, Brother Noble Khan, said that the group had urged Panday, who served as prime minister from 1995-2001, to reconsider his decision, saying they were also concerned over his health.
"There was a strong suggestion to him that.the country is basically concerned about his health and his welfare," Khan said, noting, "he had the option of accepting bail and there was a strong suggestion that he should go that way."
Panday, surrounded by a small crowd of UNC supporters, told reporters that he had read a lot of religious books during his nine-day stay in prison.
SOLITUDE
He told reporters he had not bathed in cold water since he left for England in 1957 and "I have learnt to do that both morning and night."
"Solitude is a wonderful, or can be a wonderful thing. You get time to think and reflect which you don't have when you are involved in the rat race outside," a bearded Panday said.
"As a matter of fact, I learnt something I never thought I had learnt, and that is the watch is an oppressor, by that I mean it tells you when to go to sleep, when to get up, how much time you have to bathe and eat. In prison, I had no watch, I was totally free of that oppression."
Panday is charged with corruptly receiving from his former Cabinet colleague, Carlos John and businessman Iswar Galbaransingh, the sum of £25,000 (US$41,000) as an inducement or reward in relation to Construction Package Three of the new terminal development project at Piarco.
