By LAUREL V WILLIAMS Tuesday, October 16 2012

A 23-YEAR-OLD airport porter who a police charge alleged that he swore to kill Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar appeared yesterday before a Port-of-Spain magistrate charged with sending a menacing message.

Nikolai Marfan, 23, appeared before Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar in the Eighth Court, to answer the charge. The magistrate read the charge that on Wednesday last at Western Main Road, St James, he sent a message via telephone that was menacing in nature.

Marfan of Charford Court, Port-of-Spain, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

When the magistrate enquired if the accused intends to retain an attorney, Marfan responded that he had an attorney, but he did not know the attorney’s name or his whereabouts.

Court prosecutor Sgt Logie made no objection to bail being granted, but he suggested that the magistrate, in granting bail, take into consideration the office the person, to whom the threat was made against, holds.

Ayers-Caesar granted the accused man $75,000 bail to be approved by a Clerk of the Peace III. As a condition of the bail, Ayers-Caesar ordered that Marfan report to the Besson Street Police Station every Monday and Thursday from 6 am to 6 pm. The case was adjourned to November 8.

Lead investigator acting ASP Ajith Persad together with Cpl Anthony Williams and other officers of the Port-of-Spain CID, arrested Marfan on Friday at the Piarco International Airport, where the accused man worked.

The charge as read out in court stated that Marfan told police via a telephone call that he wanted to assassinate Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. After seeking the advice of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard SC, Persad formally charged Marfan for the offence.

In November, it was revealed that a plot to assassinate the Prime Minister and three Government Ministers had been uncovered by National Security agents. Recently, National Security Minister Jack Warner made public, the police’s investigation into a death threat sent to Opposition and People’s National Movement (PNM) leader Dr Keith Rowley.