By Alexander Bruzual Tuesday, February 9 2010

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SHY MAID: Two women assist Annmarie Marcano (centre) as she hides her face while heading to the PoS Magistrates' Court yesterday where she answered ch...

THE maid who worked at the home of retired West Indies star batsman Brian Charles Lara, Annmarie Marcano, appeared yesterday before a Port-of-Spain magistrate charged with stealing among other things, Lara’s vintage bottle of champagne from his home.

Annmarie Marcano of Perseverance Road, Maraval, appeared before Magistrate Brian Dabideen in the 11th Court, charged for committing acts of larceny at Lara’s dwelling house between January 2005 and February 3, 2010, totalling over $20,000.

Marcano is charged for stealing a bottle of Angostura Master Blend Rum valued $1,600; nine pairs of Oakley Sunglasses with a total value of US$2,700; five engraved tie-pins valued in total $525; one Cartier silver pen with the engraved words, “688 runs well done!”, valued $650 and one bottle of Tattinger Champagne valued $650. Marcano pleaded “not guilty” to all charges and was represented by attorney Mario Merritt.

After reviewing the file, Dabideen made specific mention of the bailor, through whom Marcano was released from police custody on $60,000, bail on Friday night. However, further questioning by the magistrate revealed that Marcano did not know who her bailor was. The bailor was also not in court when the matter was called.

“Is it a professional bailor? Because if it is, under the Bail Act it is an offence for anyone to pay a professional bailor to take their bail,” Dabideen explained. However, Merritt argued that the purpose of the relationship between the bail bond and the bailor was to ensure the accused person always comes to court.

He pointed out this was the first time the matter was called and as such, since the defendant was in court for the hearing, there was no requirement for the bailor’s presence. Dabideen acknowledged the attorney’s argument, however he said with regard to that issue, the court was only interested in preventing breaches of the law by having accused persons paying “professional bailors.”

In light of this, Dabideen instructed that at the following hearing of the case, the bailor be brought to court to be questioned and made aware of his/her responsibilities by the magistrate. “Once I can ascertain that it is not a professional bailor then I will allow the bail bond to continue in the previous amount,” Dabideen said.

The matter is scheduled to resume on February 11. The 52-year-old maid, who worked at Lara’s Chancellor Hill home, was arrested last week Wednesday after several bottles of wine and whiskey belonging to Lara were discovered at her home. Her arrest came one day after Lara reported to the police that a steel safe containing $1 million, plus jewelry and a quantity of VVIP tickets for the Beyonce “I Am” concert was stolen from his home. (SEE PAGE 4)