By Azard Ali, Newsday TT

Former local government minister Dhanraj Singh goes on trial today in the High Court, where police and Special Branch officers have instituted a tight security system for the judge, jury and prosecutors.

Yesterday, the protective services went through the motion of double checking procedures when it was learnt that British Queen's Counsel (QC) Timothy Cassel had been replaced by a State Counsel from the Department of Public Prosecution's (DPP) office, to prosecute Singh for the 1999 murder of Hansraj Sumairsingh on December 31.

Sumairsingh was the former Chairman of the Rio Claro/ Mayaro Regional Corporation.

Cassel, retained by the State, is unable to be in the country before March 24.

Acting Assistant DPP Devan Rampersad will lead the prosecution team. He has been attached to the DPP's office for the past three years.

He was recruited from England to join the DPP's office after graduating and practising as a barrister-at-law.

Rampersad, born in the UK; won a scholarship to further studies in law at the European Court of Justice. He has prosecuted several criminal cases and argued many before the Court of Appeal. Some attorneys think he has an effective style of cross-examining witnesses, similar to Cassel. He will lead State Counsel Angelica Telucksingh during the trial.

They will come up against Karl Hudson Phillips, QC, who was recently elected a judge of the International Criminal Court.

Assisting him would be attorneys Ravi Rajcoomar and Prakash Ramadhar.

The case is fixed to go on before Justice Melville Baird in the First Assize Court.

When the matter is called the charge will be read to Singh, who will take his seat in the dock.

The Judge will then direct Assistant Registrar of the Supreme Court Robin Mohammed to begin the selection of the jury.

There are 74 members of the public who are expected to be present at the Court as potential jurors, from which a panel of 12 will be selected to adjudicate in the trial.

The actual trial of the issues however, between the State and the accused (Singh) will not get started because Hudson-Phillips has given notice to Justice Baird that he intends to make certain submissions in relation to the admissibility of evidence which were adduced at the preliminary inquiry hearing at the Mayaro Magistrates' Court.