Explosives in legal question

(CNS): Legal questions about whether a shipment of material imported by Suresh Prasad, the MD of Midland Acres Ltd, actually is explosive, as defined in law, were raised by his defence attorney Nick Dixey in court Thursday. Prasad is charged with importing explosives into the Cayman Islands without the proper permits, but although his attorney has acknowledged that the shipment contained blasting caps, the chemicals, according to the suppliers, are not explosive  material and need further processing to make them so. With the explosive nature of the cargo in question, the case which was being heard in Summary Court was adjourned until Friday for further discussions to take place.

The crown has already engaged its own expert, prosecuting counsel Candia James told the court, and explained that she was expecting his report by Tuesday on whether or not the materials could be definded as explosives. In the meantime she agreed to continue discussions with the defence expert and the suppliers of the material and agreed to the adjournment until Friday.

The law describes explosives as substances and combinations of substances which are chemically unstable or can be rendered unstable if heated up. It also describes materials that could detonate, or if they were to disintegrate they would have a destructive effect.

Although Prasad claims the material he imported does not fit into the legal definition, in a letter to the premier in March, he described the shipment as “blasting material”. The boss of Midland Acres had written to McKeeva Bush to have the shipment, which had been seized by the customs authorities, released.

See related story: Man charged over dynamite