PARAMARIBO, Suriname, CMC—The Public Prosecution Service (OM) has appealed a ruling handed down by the Court of Justice (ECJ) acquitting former vice president Ashwin Adhin, insisting that he is guilty of forgery and embezzlement, among other charges.
The OM is asking that the verdict be quashed and Adhin sentenced to a one-year prison term, of which 11 months and three weeks are conditional, and a three-year probation period.
Furthermore, the OM wants the state to be compensated for destroyed or damaged property.
The ECJ acquitted Adhin on November 2 last year, and during its appeal on Tuesday, the OM repeated most of the evidence provided during the first trial.
Adhin’s lawyers, Irvin Kanhai and Chandra Algoe, will respond to the Public Prosecution Service’s arguments on January 8, 2025.
Adhin was accused in 2020, together with other employees, of falsely drawing up documents in which furniture and equipment were written off and declared no longer ‘usable for the service.’ Adhi said some items would be donated to the deaf center and the rest to his then-employees.
However, the OM argued that no donation had been made to the deaf center, which a center director confirmed. The Public Prosecution Service also claims that the items, which had been purchased nearly two years earlier and whose depreciation period is five years, were indeed in good condition.
It said that Adhin allegedly arranged a temporary storage location for the donation, but the items were actually at the former vice president’s home.